Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating
Review: I was honestly very excited when I initially read this book. Then I proceeded to apply the 12 questions to the actual book so that I could learn it thoroughly. As with other study techniques I have tried from other books I found that this one is just too time consuming. I also have tried to apply it all of this past semester and I have had time to implement only about 20 or 30% of it. It's just not simple and concise enough to be effective.
Mr. Robinson's views on the education system are dead on, and I totally agree with him and then some. I am more extreme than him in that I believe that not only are textbooks and classes boring and not very applicable to real life, but that texts are, in fact, among the most poorly written non-fiction books in existence and totally useless with regards to actually learning a subject so that it may be applied effectively; I also believe that most if not all classes in high school and college are completely useless to the point that the whole system is just unredeemable. Oh, by the way, I am a junior at Tulane University. This is coming from someone attending one of the best colleges in the country.
Rating: 
Summary: This I Call a Blessing from Above!
Review: I was in desperate need of a book telling me how exactly should I study. I came upon "what smart students know"... I browsed other similar items, and although there are other books in this similar category, I chose this one simply because its "survived" for the passed 8 years. First print was in 1993. I started reading it, and couldn't put it down. I was so damn excited by what I was reading, and kept on wanting to know if "things can only get better", which they did, as I kept on reading.I'm currently studying by making use of a distant education college. And would recommend this book to any parent, adult, educators, politicians, business leaders, and especially to ALL teachers, & peoples attending a school or college. University students will also gain much from this book. Parts in the book include the following (with sub-parts, which im not going to list...too many Part 1 - How smart students think about school. Part 2 - How smart students learn. Part 3 - How smart students approach different subjects. Part 4 - How smart students get their grades. Part 5 - How smart students put it all together. Don't be put off by the "topics" if I may call it that. They are a bit misleading, or should I rather say, ALLOT more is included in the sub topics, which I didn't list. Take it from me, I long ago was so excited about a book as this one has made in me. I'm only in half of the book right now, and feel I can take on any subject. Give it a go, it will be worth your time. I promise. I dont think you should even bother wasting your money on the other books in this same genre.
Rating:
Summary: Hours of studying to too much free time
Review: I'm a profoundly deaf student mainstreaming at a California State University. Was frustrated in the last three semesters...no matter how hard I studied, my grades were not as good as in high school and I KNOW I can do better. Didn't expect this book to help me...I mean...I TRIED all ways I could think of to improve my grade (grumble). Turned out to help me so well that I am already having too much free time in the past three months. Even if I have to go the extra mile as a deaf student. It's true that old habits are hard to break, I still have some tiresome old studying habits. But, it's slowly changing... Mind me, habits can't be changed overnight. No matter who you are, one getting straight A's or struggling for C's, I STRONGLY suggest you to sniff out a copy of this book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is a must have for any student!
Review: I've always considered my self a "smart student". Until I read this book, I didn't realize how much study time I've wasted.It gives extremely helpful tips on how to write an 'A'paper,take careful notes,take tests,and streamline study time.It is written with humor rather than a condescending tone, making it more enjoyable than the average study guide.This book can help any student get on track.
Rating:
Summary: Forget the rest, read the BEST!
Review: I've seen many generic books on how to beat the system and how to improve your IQ. They're all phonies! This is the ONLY book I've seen which truly tells you how to not only get good grades, but how to truly learn in school. I'm currently an MBA student. Without this book, I'm a B-student studying 40 hours a week. With this book, an A-student studying 20 hours a week and partying the other 20.
Rating: 
Summary: Question, if this book is so good, why
Review: If this book is so good whay has it not been updeated in all these years?
Rating:
Summary: This book SAVES time, it is NOT more time consuming!
Review: Like the other reviewers, I was and am super-impressed with the learning techniques Robinson advocates. A few of the reviewers, however, object that to use all of the techniques requires too much time or effort. These reviewers miss Robinson's primary point: that traditional "learning" methods are boring, time-consuming, AND ineffective. Think of the methods as a football quarter-back's "playbook:" you don't have to run EVERY play in the book in EVERY game. Robinson himself says that the methods do not apply in every course, and that some methods apply more in some types of courses than others. Robinson does NOT tell students to employ ALL the methods ALL the time. Another point I'd like to make is that any new set of learning techniques takes time. Heck, typing took me forever to master; but now that I've invested the time it saves me WAY more than the time I spent learning it. Finally, Robinson's point is that HOWEVER MUCH time you have to devote to your studies, whether it's an hour a day per college course or an hour per week for a high school course -- whatever -- your time is best employed using these methods. If you're short of time, or the test isn't so important, Robinson says to cut back on the methods to fit your time budget and the importance of the test. The more time you have, and the more important the test, the more you should use Robinson's methods. The less time you have, simply cut back. No biggie. Either that, or go back to wasting all your time with the old "learning" methods of rereading your notes ad infinitum until test time. Good luck!
Rating:
Summary: The BEST effective study process book in the genre!
Review: Of all the books I have read about the effective study process, this is the BEST! The core value of this book lies in the twelve powerful 'Cyberlearning Questions' which have been skillfully crafted by the author. These well-constructed questions will help you to think through and navigate the information overload in your text materials. The author gives a lot of specific study/reading examples to guide the reader. Most students treat reading/studying as a regurgitating process. In essence, reading/studying is a thinking - and reflective - process. Questions help you think and reflect better - and faster. Not only that, they help you retain and recall the learnt information faster. Think about it, a 'question mark' when inverted looks exactly like a 'fishing hook'. It 'hooks' into your memory banks. The 'Cyberlearning Questions' have been specifically designed for this purpose. For any student who wants to master his life in school and in college (or even in the university), and if you can just learn and then master these twelve questions, your life will be a breeze. Guaranteed! In fact, I would strongly recommend all teachers to read this book if they really want to help their students to excel in school. The twelve questions will greatly enhance their repertoire of teaching tools. As a matter of fact, I have incorporated (with some adaptations) all the twelve questions in my own training programs with teachers and school kids across all levels. For working professionals who want to read faster, these twelve questions can be easily adapted to cater to their reading needs. I have proven them in my own workshops with entrepreneurs, professionals and managers. In other words, this great book is also suitable for all working professionals, especially those taking evening MBA programs. Nevertheless, I would still recommend young readers to read this book jointly with Sean Covey's Seven Habits for Highly Effective Teens. This is my reason: The first three habits, namely, Be Proactive, Having the End in Mind, and First Things First, as outlined in the book, must come first for any student who wants to achieve personal success in school life. To put into perspective, once you exercise personal initiative, take consistent and prioritised action - and with a specific purpose in your mind, the strategy of using the twelve questions will easily fall into place. In the case of working adults, read Stephen Covey (the author's father)'s book.
Rating: 
Summary: A smart must read
Review: Robinson hits on a key essential point in the learning process: questions. He intelligently guides us to forming them and answering them the best we can. I've read many books of this nature and I'd say this is definitely one of the best. In one word this book is EMPOWERING.
Rating:
Summary: Great--if you can keep it up
Review: Robinson's book presents a totally new approach to studying that had never occured to me before, but which makes a lot of sense and really works. The only problem is, it's really time consuming to do this method, especially at first, which makes it hard to stick with it long enough for it to make a difference. I would recommend reading it right before you start a new school year or semester; it's easier to change if you do it right from the beginning. It's definitely an advanced way of studying--what I mean by that is, this method is for people who already have the basics down. If you know how to take notes, keep your locker organized, and keep up with your reading, and just want to be more efficient, this book is for you. If you first need to work on being generally more responsible about school, start with another book. :-)
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