When do people actually start ISEE prep?

Hey everyone, feeling a bit lost and trying to get a sense of what’s normal here.

My daughter is in 5th grade and will probably take the ISEE (Middle Level) around Sept/Oct next year. I’ve started thinking about prep, but I genuinely don’t know if I’m early, late, or overthinking this.

I keep hearing very different things. Some families start months (or even a year) in advance, while others seem to do a shorter prep closer to the test. I also heard about a kid who prepped pretty consistently and still didn’t see much improvement, which honestly made me second-guess everything.

For those who’ve been through this, what did you actually do?
When did you start, and what did prep look like week to week? Tutor vs self-study vs just practice tests?

Just trying to figure out what actually works without overdoing it or stressing her out too much.

Would really appreciate any perspective 🙏