I've read in one study that the correlation between SAT scores and IQ is 0.86 (0.72 recentered), so I'm wondering how much of the SAT score is innate talent and how much is accumulated knowledge, as in will my IQ bottleneck/limit the score I can get?
Or, say someone's been studying since he was in 9th grade. Can he get a very high SAT score after 3 years of studying?
Because the SAT changed in both content and scoring in March 2016, it's unclear whether any of the old research correlating SAT scores and IQ is still valid. That students can do better on the test with prep would seem to argue against the SAT being a measure of some immutable "general intelligence," and theoretically, the changes to the SAT have made it more possible to prepare for the test and increase your score that way. However, there isn't enough data yet on the new SAT to say one way or another.
More importantly for students applying to colleges: yes, you can get a very high SAT score after studying. This article has specific advice on the most effective ways to study for the SAT.