how long after being raised can a brother be exalted in the Royal Arch under GLI

A Master Mason may be exalted into a Royal Arch Chapter four weeks after being raised, according to the Grand Lodge of India. Rule 76 (A) of the General Regulations of Royal Arch Masons of India specifies that the qualification for exaltation requires a candidate to have been a Master Mason for four weeks and upwards in a Craft lodge, as published by the Regional Grand Lodge of Northern India.

A Master Mason must be of at least four weeks' standing before he is eligible for exaltation into the Holy Royal Arch under the Supreme Grand Chapter of England 1. As recorded by the District Grand Lodge of Madras, this requirement applies to Master Masons under the United Grand Lodge of England in India, where a candidate becomes eligible four weeks after receiving the Third Degree. The United Grand Lodge of England confirms four weeks as the standard qualification.

Historically, eligibility was considerably more restrictive. English practice originally restricted exaltation to Past Masters of Craft lodges 1. This led to the development of a ceremony known as Passing the Chair, which conferred virtual Past Master status upon brethren who had not actually served as Master of a lodge so that they might qualify for the degree 1. Under earlier English regulations, candidates were required to have been Master Masons for two years unless specific age or family exemptions applied 2. The four-week rule eventually replaced these older qualifications, establishing the present standard across the jurisdiction 1.

There is no requirement to become a Mark Master Mason prior to exaltation into the Royal Arch under either jurisdiction.

Under the United Grand Lodge of England, through the Supreme Grand Chapter, the primary qualification for exaltation into the Royal Arch is that a candidate be a Master Mason of at least four weeks' standing, with no requirement to be a Mark Master Mason first, as set out by the United Grand Lodge of England. Historically, English practice originally restricted exaltation to Past Masters of Craft lodges before broadening eligibility directly to Master Masons 1.

Under the Grand Lodge of India, administered in tandem with the Supreme Grand Chapter of India, the rule is the same: a Master Mason may be exalted into a Royal Arch Chapter four weeks after being raised, with no requirement to first receive the Mark Master Mason degree, according to the Grand Lodge of India.

In both jurisdictions, while the Mark degree is worked as part of the wider structure of Masonic orders, it does not serve as a prerequisite for entry into the Royal Arch.