So if you are a quick learner and are dedicated the process is very fast is this the case for most lodges?
It depends on the diligence of the candidate... to advance from the EA degree, you must pass an oral proficiency exam on the lecture pertaining to the EA degree, typically by reciting in open lodge. You don't have to be word-perfect, but you shouldn't have to be prompted every fourth or fifth word, either ;-)
Passing the EA proficiency qualifies you to receive the Fellowcraft degree. There's a lecture pertaining to that degree as well, which you must pass in the same manner as you did for the EA. Once you have passed the FC proficiency, you are qualified to be raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
And guess what? There's a proficiency lecture for the master's degree as well... It varies by jurisdiction as to how long you have to pass it. Arkansas has no time limit, so there are quite a few MM's running around that haven't turned in yet. Texas is one of the more strict jurisdictions, as you have a strict time limit, and you are not allowed to petition and join any of the appendant bodies (such as the York Rite, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Grotto, or Eastern Star) until you have turned in and passed your master's proficiency.
Turning in your lecture typically occurs at a stated meeting, so you can anticipate at the shortest, approximately one month between your symbolic lodge degrees. Longer, if you're slow in aborbing the memory work. Some jurisdictions additionally have a provision in their by-laws specifying a one-month waiting period between the degrees.
The Grand Master of Masons in a jurisdiction has the option of making a man a Mason "at sight". This means that the candidate can receive all three symbolic degrees in the same day, without having a waiting period or to pass the proficiency tests in between. This is the provision that allows some jurisdictions to hold "festivals", or "all-the-way-in-one-day" workshops where you can have mass initiations, similar to those in the York Rite festivals, or Scottish Rite reunions. Most Grand Lodges do strongly restrict the Grand Master's authority in this matter, either prohibiting him from using it, or confining its use to super-extraordinary circumstances and super-special candidates. So, if you hear of someone having been made "at sight," such as General George Marshall or Douglas MacArthur, that's what happened to them.