Zachary Cembellin

MATH1A · CALC1C · MATH1DMATH2A · MATH1C · MATH2A · 48A · MATH1AMATH1B · MATH48B · 1A · M1A · MATH48C · MATH1D · MATH1AH · MATH1B · 48B · 135 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 76/100
RMP rating: 3.7/5
Take again: 70.97%
Difficulty: 3.9

The decision

if you want strong math instruction and , and high expectations.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerExcellent but demanding lecturesHard examsTough gradingHeavy practice neededStrong math preparation

Many students praise Cembellin as , and deeply useful for learning math.
The course is not an easy A because , and graded strictly.
Recent reviews suggest a more student-friendly Math 1AH structure with , but older reviews are much harsher.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

A grades are possible, but students repeatedly say , and surviving difficult exams.

, while in-person reviews praise teaching but warn even more strongly against expecting an easy A.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

The math content is conceptually heavy, fast, and exam-focused, especially for students without strong algebra, precalculus, or calculus foundations.

Both formats are challenging, but online comments emphasize self-teaching while in-person comments emphasize difficult exams after strong lectures.

Is attendance flexible?

WorthIt

76/100

because the instruction is strong, but not for students mainly seeking a low-effort grade.

In-person reviews are more enthusiastically recommended than online reviews, which include stronger complaints about asynchronous teaching and exams.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

34/100

Many students call him a tough or , though some mention partial credit and opportunities.

Format shift

Strict grading appears in both formats, with the strongest complaints tied to test-heavy online sections and .

Workload

Heavy

30/100

Students describe lots of , and heavy outside study as necessary for success.

Format shift

Online workload centers on homework and textbook study, while , and .

Teaching experience

Good

82/100

Most positive reviews praise his clear, organized, engaging lectures, but , and exam mismatch.

Format shift

, while online asynchronous teaching receives mixed to poor comments.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

84/100

Reviews repeatedly describe the course as , and a final or exam replacement.

Format shift

, although recent in-person Math 1AH reviews mention take-home assessments and a .

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

43 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

and engagement, but students repeatedly warn that and the class requires serious effort.

Main concern

, and high expectations can punish students seeking an easy transfer grade.

What students said

“Super nice and easy-to-understand lectures.”
MATH1AH

“ if you're looking for an easy A.”
MATH1A

“Cembellin is a cool guy but definitely one of the toughest professors at foothill.”
MATH1B

Remote format

Online

7 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

Online reviews are mixed, with and manageable work but and weak asynchronous teaching.

Main concern

Online students may need to rely heavily on homework, textbook work, and .

What students said

“The class is test heavy, so if that is not a format that you are not comfortable or familiar with, then this class might end up being difficult.”
MATH1A

“async teaching is not his strong suit.”
MATH1A

“The professor is chill and engaging, with manageable exams.”
MATH1AH

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exam friendliness varies because , while many older reviews describe hard, tricky, and heavily weighted exams.

Test HeavyHard ExamsOpen Note QuizzesTake-Home ExamsConceptual Questions

Assessment risk

Varies

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and open-note exams to very hard, tricky, and heavily weighted exams.

Take-Home ExamsOpen Note QuizzesHard ExamsTough Grading

“Most exams and and weren't too tricky.”
MATH1AH

“ , so the questions focus more on application and un-googlable answers.”
MATH48C

“Intentionally and quiz.”
MATH1B

Online

, but they do not clearly prove webcam use, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, or open-book policy.

Test HeavyHarder Than HomeworkOnline Homework Support

“His class was test-heavy, and I took it over the summer.”
MATH1A

“the ”
MATH1A

“The , so do them!”
MATH1A

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“ if you're looking for an easy A.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and exams. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

82/100

“Super nice and easy-to-understand lectures.”

📉 Grade Difficulty

38/100

“ if you're looking for an easy A.”

🧪

48/100

“ and have stuff that wasn't talked about in class.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

.
He teaches every concept in depth, creates extremely organized lecture note templates, and .
.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

You will have to put in a lot of effort to excel in his class.
His class is challenging, however he makes up for it with his lecturing.
If you want an easy A, sorry, but if you .

Theme 3

📝 About Exams

Grade is mostly made up of tests, and he is a .
the
Most exams and and weren't too tricky.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

135

Lifetime ratings

94/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across several years provide rich, consistent evidence, though course policies appear to have changed over time.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 562

4 out of 523

3 out of 526

2 out of 514

1 out of 510

Course coverage

MATH1B10 reviews

MATH1AH8 reviews

MATH1A6 reviews

MATH1D6 reviews

MATH48C5 reviews

Show 10 more courses

MATH48B3 reviews

1A2 reviews

MATH1C2 reviews

MATH2A2 reviews

48A1 review

48B1 review

CALC1C1 review

M1A1 review

MATH1AMATH1B1 review

MATH1DMATH2A1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

41 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 7 · A 12 · A- 4

B range

B+ 2 · B 8 · B- 1

C range

C+ 1 · C 3

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1 · Rather not say 1

Zachary Cembellin

x x if you want strong math instruction and x x x x x x x, and high expectations.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Recommended

WorthIt

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

📉 Grade Difficulty

🧪 x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📝 About Exams

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want strong math instruction and , and high expectations.

🧪