M_power, your friend probably did BMQ and SQ in a row. Full time (5 days a week) this would be 8 weeks of training.
In reality BMQ is 21 training days long (20 days plus one day of SHARP, which is hidden in the fine print of the TP). SQ is 17 training days long.
Putting the two together gives you 38 days training plus a couple of admin days (since BMQ candidates seldom all show up with all the propper kit, ID cards, etc) totalling your 8 weeks, and thus fits the typical summer training model.
12 weekends is about right for a weekend BMQ course as this allows an extra day for admin or any other things the course staff adds in that the TP timings don't allot for - such as a graduation parade.
Note: all the above time are for the PRes versions of the courses.
Cheers.