Barron's Pocket Guide to Study Tips

This book helps with the basic study tip ordeals. It has hints and reminders about various subject matters such as note taking, essay writing, etc. When it comes to a study tip book, this one is one of the better ones I have read through. This book was required for the course I took (my professor is the authors son), and though I just skimmed through it - it does have many useful tips on common grammatical issues.

Over the years, I note that most of the pocket books (which I have acquired!) published by Barron's Educational Series, Inc., for students often turn out to be very useful & practical for their intents & purposes. To name a few: Student Success Secrets, B's & A's in 30 Days, both by Eric Jensen; Creative Problem Solving by Donald Noone; Maximising Your Memory Power by Danielle Lapp. This pocket book is no exception. It's very well written. It's also now in its fifth edition & expanded to over 400 pages. Although I am still intrigued by the fact that the goal setting aspect is missing from this book, the treatment of all the other aspects of study skills is excellent. All the chapters are well-organised. They are clear, concise & succinct. The specific chapters on writing, vocabulary building, spelling & punctuation, research, library usage & test taking are relatively good. There is also a chapter on using technology. The last chapter on motivation (How to find it; How to use it) is a must read for students! I would recommend students in high school & college to get hold of this pocket book, as well as Sean Covey's 'Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens'! The latter, in addition to enhancing your priority management, is to help you fill up the missing variable in the study (success) equation: goal setting!!! On the whole, & for a handy pocket guide, I rate it a 5.