# of years from associate to VP, and counting them correctly?

I was in IB, but it's been too long ago.

Was chatting with someone and he claimed that he received an early promotion from associate to VP in 2 years. His progression went like this: - Did 3 years of banking as an BB analyst - Moved to a different BB bank in September 2017 as an associate, made VP in March 2020 (so technically more like 2.5 years)

Is this typical, and what's the usual range of # of years to make VP from associate these days? I thought 3-5 years was the norm.

Also, I think he's saying he was promoted in 2 years because managers give "promotion nods" at the end of the year, but because of HR policies the new title is official when bonuses are paid out (i.e. March of the following year). Is saying 2 years in this case acceptable to say at other banks/recruiters? I didn't think he was being sly about it and nodded along, but just curious what the norm is.

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