How difficult are STEP 2 and 3 in comparison to STEP 1?

Just starting STEP 1 now (End of year 12). Just curious how big the of a step up it is between STEP 1 and STEP 2?

I read somewhere that you should move onto STEP 2 practice at the start of year 13 (so September). When did other people start practicing STEP 2?

Thanks.

Well in terms of actual difficulty (not content), STEP I is quite trivial once you've mastered STEP II AND III. If you're smacking A-level normal maths at the end of year 12 you're in a good position for STEP I. But it's a matter of how you spend your time. The step up is quite big since STEP 2 requires some aspects of further maths, which is already a step up. But again, everything seems difficult until you practice it enough. The practice times vary for different people. Are you also planning to take STEP III as well?

Yes but at the end of year 13.

Bump.

Personally having sat STEP I & II This year, I would say they are similar difficulty. In pure maths the content does focus more on year 2 in STEP II but comparatively they are similar difficulty if you have the same comprehension of the topics.
Personally I found this year STEP II was easier than STEP I
STEP III is a very different content, both 1&2 focus on A-level Maths content and applications etc. 3 moves into Further maths. (This is specified on the Spec)
So again it is similar in difficulty but it is on different content and this content is considered harder.
(as a side note, despite taking further maths I am not taking STEP III)
If you want to take STEP but do not need it for your uni (i.e. you're not going to Cambridge) I wouldn't recommend taking 3 as it is very different content and is probably not worth the time.
Doing STEP, I have found, does not improve your normal maths however doing normal maths and mastering it and having a deep understanding of it and how and why it works will help you in STEP.
Also if you want there is a free STEP program from Cambridge accessible online and suggested to start in the summer between year 12 & 13. And there are many places that host the STEP papers dating back to about 1994 for free, so if you wan to get an idea for the type of content and the difficulty I recommend looking at those things.