Know what you are getting yourself into. The test itself is 150 multiple-choice questions. This should motivate you to memorize quick facts of the city so that four numbers in a row cannot throw you off from the knowledge you've obtained.
Tour New York City yourself. Take a guided tour with a well-known and successful company. Act as a tourist, prodding the guides for more information. Fact-check anything that the tour guide says, as you never know when one may be compensating for a lack of true knowledge.
Read up on your New York City history. This is especially important if you are not a native New Yorker. When others learned the history of this state and city, you were learning about your own state and city. Get a textbook on the history of the city if possible. New York City's history is intense, rich and long.
Get a stack of index cards. Write multiple choice questions on the front, with the number or letter of the correct answer on the back. Have a friend hold up the cards, placing the ones you answer correctly in one stack. With the ones you've missed, go over each card 10 times. Mix and shuffle the cards. Do it again until you get each one correct.
Explore all the boroughs. Manhattan is not the only part of New York City, of course. A true New York City tour guide studies all the boroughs. Neighborhood histories are also a part of the test. Questions asking for this information will be presented to you, and you'll need to know a lot of information about this topic.
Learn about the history of the city's immigration groups and how things change. This is a part of the test. New York City is notorious for being a melting pot of cultures. Learn about how this all began and how it is still evolving.
Study hard the night before the test, then put it aside. Avoid studying the morning of the test. Make positive affirmations on your ability to pass the test. Rest assured that the makers of the test promise that there are no trick questions. Go in confidently and do your best.