Effectively the same. But slightly different.

Got my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over the weekend. I didn't pass a specific test or anything - that's not how my school works. Some schools do test, but generally the promotion system is a combination of time, effort, and ability.

If you're particularly adept and master the skills quickly then you might get promoted more quickly. Depends on your school/instructor. That definitely wasn't a problem for me - I have exceptionally talented guys in my school and I'm nowhere near as good as they are. But each case is a different case (pun intended), so you evaluate each student on their own merits. The soonest you will get your blue belt is, I think, 8 months. The latest? About a year and a half, depending on how often you are able to come to class and how quickly you pick up the art.

If you're curious you can see some general details here.

When I first started the blue belts seemed light-years away. It was an impossible goal, but here we are. I confess that I'm pleased and proud to have reached this stage of the process.