As a test prep tutor, I’d like to clarify this. The most highly effective test takers have taken a lot of official practice tests, and they’ve learned strategies the right way from the start, before trying to sit down and blindly do a full official timed test. In my years of experience, the people who get the highest scores don’t need to take a lot of official tests in an official setting. They need to prep the right way.
There are many ways to prep. In my opinion, there is no need for a student to spend the better part of a year prepping for a test. It’s most effective for a student to start prepping 2-3 months before. There are variations on that timetable, depending on factors ranging from sports to time of year. The new SAT will be administered in March, and frankly, at the moment, it isn’t even possible to prep for a year given the scarcity of official SAT practice material available.
Here is a thread all about the new SAT. If your child wants to take it, have a look: The NEW digital SAT