How to Become a Straight-A Student audiobook cover - The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less

How to Become a Straight-A Student

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

Cal Newport

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Mind Map

How to Become a Straight-A Student
Time Management & Focus+
Beating Procrastination+
Optimal Environment & Energy+
Class & Note-Taking+
Exam Preparation+
Exam Execution (The 3 Ps)+
Writing A+ Papers+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
According to the book, what is the definition of 'pseudo-working'?
  • A. Working on assignments that are not graded or required for the course.
  • B. Studying in a distracting environment or for long continuous periods where concentration drops.
  • C. Pretending to study in the library while actually browsing social media.
  • D. Participating in group study sessions where students end up socializing instead of working.
Question 2 of 10
What specific strategy does the author recommend to actively fight the urge to procrastinate?
  • A. Keeping a 'work progress journal' to record daily tasks and write down explanations for any uncompleted ones.
  • B. Setting multiple alarms to ensure you wake up early to study before your brain gets tired.
  • C. Punishing yourself by skipping social events when you fail to complete an assignment.
  • D. Breaking large projects into smaller 15-minute micro-tasks to make them feel less intimidating.
Question 3 of 10
Why does the author suggest rotating between different isolated study spots?
  • A. To avoid running into friends or classmates who might distract you from your work.
  • B. To ensure you always have access to an electrical outlet and a good Wi-Fi connection.
  • C. To keep your mind stimulated and prevent boredom from looking at the same four walls every day.
  • D. To subconsciously associate different academic subjects with different physical locations.
Question 4 of 10
How should a student's note-taking approach differ between nontechnical and technical courses?
  • A. Nontechnical courses require verbatim transcription, while technical courses only require copying the final formulas.
  • B. Nontechnical courses focus on big ideas using a question/evidence/conclusion structure, while technical courses focus on recording problems, solutions, and steps.
  • C. Nontechnical courses should be recorded via audio, while technical courses must be written by hand to build muscle memory.
  • D. Nontechnical course notes should focus entirely on dates and names, while technical course notes should focus on theoretical concepts.
Question 5 of 10
What does the author mean by investing in 'academic disaster insurance'?
  • A. Asking the professor for extra credit assignments at the beginning of the semester in case you fail a test.
  • B. Ensuring there is no single subject on the exam that you are completely unsure of by asking questions to fill in knowledge gaps.
  • C. Creating a dedicated study group to share notes in case you oversleep and miss a crucial lecture.
  • D. Saving all your paper drafts and lecture notes on a backup hard drive to prevent data loss.
Question 6 of 10
When proceeding through an exam, what is the recommended order for answering questions?
  • A. Answer the hardest questions first while your mind is still fresh and you have the most energy.
  • B. Answer the questions in the exact order they appear on the test to avoid missing any.
  • C. Answer the easiest questions first to build a solid foundation and reduce pressure.
  • D. Answer the questions with the highest point values first to guarantee a passing grade.
Question 7 of 10
According to the text, what is the difference between a paper's topic and its thesis?
  • A. A topic is a broad observation or subject, while a thesis is a specific, narrow question or argument.
  • B. A topic is assigned by the professor, while a thesis is exclusively chosen by the student.
  • C. A topic is the title of the paper, while a thesis is the concluding paragraph summarizing the research.
  • D. A topic focuses on historical facts, while a thesis focuses on modern interpretations of those facts.
Question 8 of 10
How do you know when you have reached an adequate amount of research material and should stop looking for more sources?
  • A. When you have gathered at least 10 peer-reviewed journal articles for your bibliography.
  • B. When you have at least two good sources for central topics and one good source for helpful, non-necessary topics.
  • C. When you have read every book mentioned in your initial source's bibliography.
  • D. When you have enough material to write a draft that exceeds the professor's minimum word count.
Question 9 of 10
What should be your primary focus during the actual writing phase of your paper?
  • A. Simultaneously editing and refining your grammar to save time during the review process.
  • B. Adding new research as you write to make your arguments sound more sophisticated.
  • C. Expressing your literary aspirations through complex, poetic language.
  • D. Sticking to the plan and translating your well-developed structure onto paper without editing or researching.
Question 10 of 10
What is the correct focus of the FIRST pass when reviewing your written paper?
  • A. Checking for small grammatical mistakes, typos, and spelling errors.
  • B. Reading the text aloud to find clumsy sentence constructions and awkward rhythms.
  • C. Focusing on the presentation of arguments, major structural flaws, and clarifying intricate sentences.
  • D. Formatting the bibliography, checking citations, and ensuring correct margin sizes.

How to Become a Straight-A Student — Full Chapter Overview

How to Become a Straight-A Student Summary & Overview

How to Become a Straight-A Student offers you successful strategies used by actual straight-A students to help you score better grades while studying less. From time management to concrete advice on developing a thesis, this book gives you all the tools you need to earn the perfect 4.0 without burning out.

Who Should Listen to How to Become a Straight-A Student?

  • Students who are sick of pulling all-nighters
  • Anyone who wants to make the most out of their time
  • Anyone who would benefit from less procrastination

About the Author: Cal Newport

Cal Newport is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a PhD from MIT. He is currently an assistant professor of computer science at Georgetown University and has also authored a number of books, including How to Be A High School Superstar, How to Win at College and So Good They Can’t Ignore You.

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