another lapd question

[cali52]

I am a 22 year old college student with about 1 year until I get my Bachelors degree in business. Since hearing that the process can take anywhere from 4 months to 2 years plus. I figure right about now is a good time to get the ball rolling by taking the tests for a bunch of different California departments. I want to take the test for lapd, and was going to do the out of towner 4 day intense testing session, but they are booked up for the year and unsure if they will continue it next year. So I decided to do it the hard way, but I live in Northern California so every trip down there is going to be a pain. But what I am wondering is how many trips can I expect to make down there to complete the process, given if I pass each phase. I’m thinking about taking the buss or driving down there and take one of the drop in testing sessions next week. What can I expect if I pass that part?