"It's a great opportunity to get into the better schools in the future and, of course, better colleges in the future," parent Lesya Sopinka said.
The new gifted and talented exam, known as the N-Nat, is more difficult.
"We have a responsibility to take a look at the test and make sure that we refine the test and improve the test and that's what this is all about," New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said.
Some 20-thousand children will compete for only a few hundred spots.
"They actually just (changed) the test to make the bar that much harder," Suzanne Rheault said.
Rheault is C.E.O and founder of the test prep company, Aristotle Circle. She says they are busier than ever.
"Any time you change a test or there's something new, parents really want information and they want to feel prepared," she said.
The test includes analyzing geometric patterns to determine the correct answers.
Aristotle Circle and other test prep sources offer some free, online help. The test is scheduled for January.
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