It was about 4 months for me from applying to being accepted onto the AQC. But I did an MCC while I was waiting for the ATP scheme to re-open and in the meantime got a job offer on a turboprop as a result. I effectively wasted the £2k MCC because I did it again during the AQC, but having done it allowed me to apply for other jobs and give myself a backup plan should the AQC not have worked out as planned.
PW