[aneesh]

Saying the Putnam is a next step from AMC12 problems is like saying the NBA is a next step from pickup basketball with friends in middle school! There are people who can do Putnam problems for fun, but those people generally know who they are already.

[albertni]

Solving problems 1-4 on each day of the Putnam with an "unlimited" amount of time is not a ridiculous expectation. Putnam's difficulty is partly due to its time format.

[mark-t]

Putnam problems are not considerably harder than AIME problems, and AIME is definitely the next step from AMC12. Anybody who can solve a few AIME problems can certainly solve A1 on the Putnam of almost every year.