I agree with those who indicate that it depends on the individual and the studio at which you are learning. I think it is great to have set goals in mind and a time frame for achieving it, but in some cases, and some places, you'll be reaching those goals without even really knowing it. I have been at the same studio for four years now and the first time I even thought about the competency level was when my instructor said, "Now you are doing silver level brush and feather steps." To be honest, I didn't know, or even really care, what he meant by that. I just knew I was getting better and learning some really cool stuff.