Vectis Lady - its all about your own abilitys and your own personal organisation. Don't take anyones advice too seriously - as only you know your own abilities.
You can take as long as you want till the first exam, but the clock starts ticking from the first sitting.
FWIW, I did mine at london met distance learning, had a baby (well my wife did), a full time job and finished off a Research thesis for my Masters degree all at the same time - alot of work, but it all comes down to motivation and organisation.
The whole course took me about 9 months from April '05 till jan '06 and I got a 98% average. However I put alot of work in and put the rest of my life on hold (apart from the baby thing
).
I'm now flying 757's for a living (aged 36 - me, not the 'planes!) so it is all worth the effort.