How to Become a Straight-A Student

The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

By: Cal Newport

Narrated by: Johnathan McClain

Looking to jumpstart your GPA? Most college students believe that straight A’s can be achieved only through cramming and painful all-nighters at the library. But Cal Newport knows that real straight-A students don’t study harder—they study smarter. A breakthrough approach to acing academic assignments, from quizzes and exams to essays and papers, How to Become a Straight-A Student reveals for the first time the proven study secrets of real straight-A students across the country and weaves them into a simple, practical system that anyone can master. You will learn how to:

Streamline and maximize your study time
Conquer procrastination
Absorb the material quickly and effectively
Know which reading assignments are critical—and which are not
Target the paper topics that wow professors
Provide A+ answers on exams
Write stellar prose without the agony

A strategic blueprint for success that promises more free time, more fun, and top-tier results, How to Become a Straight-A Student is the only study guide written by students for students—with the insider knowledge and real-world methods to help you master the college system and rise to the top of the class.

Includes a PDF of Time Management Tips.

Critic reviews

“A smart, concise, fun, and above all informative guide on how to ace college by being smarter about how to work . . . This book is a must-have for anyone who wants to do well at college and enjoy it too.” —M. Cecilia Gaposchkin, Assistant Dean of Faculty for PreMajor Advising, Dartmouth College

“This book delivers on its title 100 Percent. I wish I'd had a copy when I was in college—I would have had a better GPA and a better social life!” —Jason Ryan Dorsey, author of My Reality Check Bounced!

Useful ideas to help all students

Regardless of whether you are a late starter to college or coming from high school, the ideas are useful and lend to practicality. I used to be a crammed in college, and was the one with the bleary eyes the day after the exams. This book helps by providing thought provoking ideas that can help get past and away from the cramming. That alone can help make the college experience that much more rewarding.

study effectively & efficiently

a must read/listen by all college students. great tips, lots of details. some of the tips I already employ and I know they work. the ones I learn I will be employing this fall.

has good points but lacking for STEM students

I liked the way he structures the way you should study and even though a lot of what he says is common sense, he offers practical and original ways to put it to use. my only complaint is that it seems that the book is made for students which are coursing humanistic careers. technical careers take a second place.

don't judge a book by its cover - this is a gem

This book had more information for the length of time than most self-help books out there.

Essential Reading for Students (and professionals)

I'm not a student, but I wish this book was around when I was.
Cal's arguments are composed, lean, and riveting.
The Case Studies and variety of specific examples make this text stand out.

I'm an executive who always needs to write and study, and I found a plethora of applicable steps.