In the case at hand for the thread topic, links in previous posts indicate that the parent mis-represented another student's ACHIEVEMENT test scores as her sons, and purchased a copy of the IQ test to cheat.
Obviously BUYING an IQ test to "prep" a kid is unethical. But I'm not sure one can really stop people from training their kid in this style of test. And I am sure it would work to some extent.
Personally I don't see what the point of prepping for IQ tests, tests for giftedness and/or IQ Tests, and the end of year state tests. My son just went through a full battery of tests (neuro psyc testing) and the only thing I did was talk to him about taking the tests serious. (I don't have the results for another few weeks.) How would this information be useful if I prepped him. I have a hard enough time convincing people that my son hasn't been heavily tutored. My school used the OLSAT for testing into GATE and while the party line at the district is you can't prep for it. I know some parents who tried, although I don't know how or if it was successful.
I can see why people try if it takes a 99% to be put in a lottery to get into the gifted magnets in NYC? My district it used to be 95% but it seems as if they have gone to a new test this year. My son got a 99% but I don't think this was very common even among other kids in his gifted class.
On the other hand I will definitely prep my son for the SAT/PSAT although we will not do the whole summer long 4 hours a day +homework type of prep. Ironically the "top" kids are the ones that do the most prep for this test. I assume he will do well even without prep but there are tricks to how to take these test. Most of the other kids in our area get so much prep that it would be a disadvantage to not even crack open a SAT prep book even for a very gifted kid.
