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My son has extra time written into his IEP for use in tests but he has never used that. We have spent countless hours drilling him when he was younger with his math facts so that he could be "fast enough" (not the fastest, for sure) to be able to take tests with other kids and finish on time. Our other child doesn't have an IEP and has blown through the math facts in nothing flat.
I think it's foolish not to prepare for the ACT, SAT, etc. when they are taking it in high school for real. Like it or not, that is a major way colleges will admit (or reject) you.

I'm certainly not in favor of prepping for an IQ test, but I don't regard the SAT as a true ability/ IQ test. If you have terrible math teachers, you aren't going to do well on it. The verbal section is a little different, but again, if you haven't been taught well...(I admit, I don't really remember what this section is like, and I think it's been changed anyway). Writing, too.

I did not prep for the SAT in any way, and I probably should have (for the math portion). I was a very indifferent math student--I do mean indifferent, as in "frequently not paying attention" as well as "not very good"--and a little focused review would have done me some good. My parents did not believe in test prep at all and never suggested that we do anything to prepare. In my case and my other brother's case, it worked out fine anyway, though I could have done better on the math with some simple review. My other brother, who may have some slight LDs, could probably really have benefited from prepping, and it might have gone a long way towards helping him get past his lifelong feelings of inferiority, which later led to some bad choices.

Let me be crystal clear here-- my DD13 definitely "prepped" for the SAT. But it was nothing like what I know some of her peers (and their parents) have embarked upon, even so.

She took about 8 practice tests, and curled up with a couple of different practice books, studied how to write essays, etc. I have no problem with this. It was a total of maybe 35 hours, spread over a couple of months. And yes, when you add that up, figure in ~3hr for each practice test. It was a few Saturday + Sunday mornings.

On the other hand, she was taking it as a high school junior. NOT as a 7th grader participating in a talent search. If she had asked for a prep book as a 7th grader, I'd have given her one. But I wouldn't have gone through her practice tests and looked for patterns in what she was missing, etc...

I agree with HK - I see no problem with prepping for the SAT, and I expect my kids to prep (for SATs in HS, not 7th grade). Prepping boosts scores for most, unless you are like the kid I knew who got a 1600, one time testing, no prep (that is unusual though, even among PG kids).

There can be a difference in admissions at elite schools between the 2100 score and the 2250 score. Also, many merit scholarships are based on SATs (M+V). A score of 1400+ on the SAT or 32+ on the ACT will get you some nice merit. I know one kid that refused to retake the SATs, even though a M+V score just 20 points higher would have secured $8K more a year in scholarships. A little prep, $50 SAT fee and a Saturday morning would have saved his folks $32K.

Prep doesn't need to be fancy and expensive. $100 worth of books (one for CR, one for math, the College Board Blue Book and the ACT Red Book) resulted in a score boost and $20K/year in merit for my eldest.

Oh, I was skimming the thread. We're talking about prepping when using the SAT as a talent search? No, I wouldn't prep for that. Why?

My 10yo is proud of the score he earned as an 8yo, and the prospect of taking the SAT motivated him to study algebra when he was eight.
I will likely have my other children, who are not as precocious, take the SAT in 6th and/or 7th grade. The schools here do not identify children as gifted, but I would like them to form that self-concept based on their scores (and doing well in school).

The only preparation my dd did for testing for 7th grade talent search was to skim through a prep book for familiarity and review general test-taking strategies. I wanted the test to show her abilities and knowledge as they are, not what was "taught to the test." She got DYS-level scores without preparation, and had she had formal preparation I would have questioned the results. Especially since have a tendency to be in denial/underestimate her as it is. That being said, a number of parents I spoke to at the recognition ceremony had done a fair amount of test prep and multiple practice tests. Perhaps a bit more prep has made their results more indicative of their abilities as they are able to focus on the questions rather than the test itself. As for testing as a high school junior/senior, I think absolutely formal test prep is appropriate as that is for an entirely different purpose.