The only real bottleneck in the process is getting the interview. The application itself is pretty straightforward and doesn't take too long to submit.

You can sort of "shop" around to see when different locations have interviews available. Some are booked out pretty far and other less busy locations may have slots open next week. I was based in ANC and did mine there prior to a trip. The schedule was pretty much wide open, but my home airport was backed up for weeks.