Hi Dan!
I am a fellow noob, and just got my A license in October, I started jumping at the end of August. The AFF levels will really just depend mostly on A. how much money you have set aside to jump with, and B. how many jumps you do/how many tries it takes you to pass each level.
I was fortunate and passed each level on my first jump and was able to do a lot of coaching jumps to work on my other skills. My 25th jump was my check dive and I start to finish got my license in just under two months (aff aug 27, check dive oct 22). I committed every weekend, rain or shine to the dropzone though and worked on anything i could when we weren't flying (packing, learning about gear, how it all works, ect.). I'm sad that our season just ended, but am counting the days til april first to get in the air again! Not that I am an expert by any means, but if you have any questions about my student experience, feel free to ask.