Yes, any materials which test reasoning and are used for 11+ prep will be useful.
Schools would like students to do them with zero prep and the test producers and schools like tos at you cannot prepare, but some familiarisation with the kind of Qs certainly helps and can boost scores. It just isnt true that it makes zero difference. Kids who have prepped for 11+ who do these test later at the start of yr 7 are definitely advantaged as they are familiar with working to time and with the styles of Qs.
In likelihood, practice will give a boost but not a transformation of score. Those who say it can result in kids being put in the wrong sets and then struggling and can be harmful.....I say pah to that. We are not talking about 2-3 years of 11+ intensive prep that some do, when considering Midyis Tests. We are talking about a limited amount of time and a few familiarisation papers or looking at technique. It will boost students a few marks in likelihood. Those who will do this are also likely to be those who will work hard at school and that work ethic makes them more able to cope with a bit of stretch. I am not saying that anyone who doesn’t do any prep (and most don’t for Midyis) lack work ethic or will be poorly at all. But if you get a few extra marks, which means your GCSE target is a grade higher or you squeak into the higher set (and remember actually there is very little setting in many secondary schools, especially selective ones) then that’s no bad thing. Although sets can be flexible, it’s often quite hard to move up. You have to be at the top of your class and there usually has to be someone to move down first. Essentially, it’s much easier if you get into the top set to stay there, than if you’re in the middle set, to move up. High expectations from teachers and being in the data sets with higher Midyis can result in a wider range of options later down the line etc.
So I’d say, it’s not true that there’s no merit or that doing a bit of familiarisation is dangerous or harmful. A child who has done 11+ earlier in the year might not need to at all. Someone else could look at a book of verbal and non verbal reasoning techniques and do a paper or 2. That’s enough to make a difference. For anyone doing Midyis who has never seen those kind of Qs before in their life, it can be quite a shock. They will broadly reveal natural ability and those who’ve never seen them but are bright, will still do well. But they might do slightly better with some practice. And the more average child might be able to boost their mark by a few, which could count for a lot.
In the end, schools will look at how the kids do when they are actually there. It is true and this Midyis data, or KS2 data is just one small element in the bigger picture. But if it’s used for data target setting etc, it’s worth being aware that those targets get looked at and the schools tracks against all the way through to GCSE, so why not have the school start from the highest expectations of your child that you can.
I wouldn’t expect everyone to agree with what I say and I wouldn’t expect the vast majority to be doing any prep at all. But some parents are interested in this stuff and you might call them tiger mums, or pushy or whatever.....it’s probably true, but if that’s what they want to do and think benefits their kids, then a little bit of Midyis or CAT4 familiarisation with perhaps just 5 hours or so, can make a bit of difference.