You should understand the nature of the levels above power. If you weren't a dianetic clear, you did power in the HGC, and then R-6EW was a solo level. You learned how to audit it in the course room. Then you solo audited it. You came up with your own answers to the question -"what am I dramatizing?" and you ran the process to EP.
The clearing course required you to get reads from the platens that Hubbard researched. The platens had items on them which you looked at, put your attention on and noted each read on your w/s till the item went flat. So, as Paul says, they gave you a few platens, and you audited your self on them. I can see this falling under the 5 day rule. You pick up your platens, drive to burbank, hop a jet home and solo audit on them for 5 days, then fly back, bring them back to the solo course admin, send your folder in to the c/s. maybe get a cram, or simply pick up the next platens, and off you go again.
The sunshine rundown and OT1 are done in LA since they only take a few days to do.
OT2 is run the same way as the clearing course. You take a few platens home - audit them, then return to ao, turn those in, get a c/s then off you go.
OT3 . Hum. On that level you learn how to locate and find BTs on yourself. About all you have in your briefcase is your folder containing the work sheets where you note stuff like "found bt on left shoulder, ran it on inc 2, inc 1 to f/n" You would have a correction list, but that's about it. Once you learn how to run it, there's not much to it. You do it every day, and turn in your work sheets every 5 days ( according to the promo) to get a c/s instruction. If you weren't doing well it would look like this:
Mimsey Borogrove
9 oct 2016
C/S
FLUNK
Auditor to cramming via the MAA. You can not run a BT off from another person. Especially COB. That violates HCOB "OT III basic proceedure."
ARC, Rocky Stump, Solo C/S
In this case the auditor would do lowers, get a mega cram, audit for a while on base till the c/s knows he is doing it correctly, then he is allowed to go off base.
As far as sec checks - you get a sec check while you are doing the solo course. If that goes OK, you get an invitation to do the ot levels. Your next sec check would likely be done after OT3 if you consistently audited well, with no breaks, before you started ot 4 & 5
Solo nots is a different kettle of fish. You, the new OT5 from AOLA, fly to flag - redo the solo course, get a new sec check as part of your set up auditing, then if all is well, you go onto OT6 theory - then after demonstrating you can run 6 sessions a day standardly, you get some correction lists, int ext list etc. and fly home for 6 months. Weekly you mail back your work sheets, and you have a mail box at the post office where they mail stuff to you in special envelopes. If you use up all of your correction lists, they will mail you another, for instance. In six months - you fly to flag, drop off your materials, start your refresher course, and go into the HGC for your 6 mos sec check. Do a cram on the stuff you did wrong while at home, or lowers if you went out ethics in some way. Do a few sessions on base - then go to tampa and jet back to where ever.
I hope this clarifies it a bit.
Mimsey