The torsion problem of a cylinder with a circular transverse cross section twisted by end moments that are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction is considered for various models of nonlinearly elastic compressible media. The problem is solved by the semi-inverse method of elasticity theory. The Poynting effect, which consists of variation in the length of a shaft in torsion, is treated qualitatively and quantitatively. The results of the numerical and asymptotic (only terms that are quadratic relative to the displacement gradient are conserved) solutions for various models of the nonlinearly elastic behavior of materials are compared. An analysis of the results shows that in some cases, the quasilinear model is not applicable for studying the behavior of nonlinearly elastic compressible media.