How long in consulting before moving to PE?

I'm currently working for a non-MBB top five consulting shop, and I'm looking to move into PE. How long do consultants typically work before making the transition? Is recruiting at my 18-month mark too soon? Will my odds be better if I put in two full years?

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Can provide some perspective on this topic as I recruited from MBB to PE after ~1 year on the job. If you are looking to do on-cycle, then recruiting after 1 year is very normal. If you are looking to do off-cycle, 18 months into the job is also quite normal. You now see bankers recruiting ~4 months into the job for PE/HF, so if anything 18+ months is on the longer side of things.

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