How does one become a Sublime and Perfect Master?

An applicant seeking advancement in the Order must first be a Master Mason in good standing, as the Supreme Council for England and Wales notes. Candidates enter through the 18th degree via the Ceremony of Perfection, receiving the intermediate degrees from the 4th to the 17th in an abbreviated form.

In these earlier Ineffable Degrees, the candidate testifies to experiences acquired through the preceding grades—including those of Perfect Master, Intendant of the Building, and Sublime Elect—demonstrating that he has inspected the works, penetrated the inner parts of the Temple, and maintained an ongoing quest for knowledge 1. Symbolically, he is presented with a set of simple mathematical instruments that teach principles such as the equilibrium of opposing forces, the necessity of a clear plan before action, and the alignment of particular truths with universal truth 1.