Matthew O'Brien

PHCY100 · PSYC100 · PSCY100 · PSYC211 · PSYC230 · PSYCH230 · PSYCH100 · 74 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 74/100
RMP rating: 4.4/5
Take again: 80%
Difficulty: 3.0

The decision

if you will study the book, use his guides, and if you want a low-effort easy A.

Best fit · Effort For RewardTest HeavyPassionate LecturerInQuizitive HeavyExtra Credit AvailablePolarizing Difficulty

Many students love his engaging psych lectures and .
Grades are often exam-driven, with hard closed-book or Zoom-proctored tests.
Workload and difficulty spike in accelerated/online formats, splitting opinions sharply.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

42/100

An A and homework, but and many students find them brutal.

Online ; in-person reviews more often say workable with study and sometimes notes.

Is the course easy?

Standard

48/100

Content is digestible in good lectures, but volume of , and .

Accelerated online sections feel denser; regular in-person sections feel more manageable with the .

Is attendance flexible?

Optional

82/100

, though showing up helps for lectures and participation in some courses.

a few research-methods sections noting required participation.

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

76/100

Most students recommend him for great teaching and support, but a and heavy work.

In-person recommendation is warmer; and workload.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Fair

55/100

Clear criteria and help, but and some tough-grader reports keep it from feeling lenient.

Format shift

Online students more often ; in-person students more often call it fair if you study.

Workload

Heavy

34/100

Frequent InQuizitive, reading, quizzes, papers in methods courses, and .

Format shift

Online and accelerated sections draw the .

Teaching experience

Good

82/100

and support, tempered by some reports of cold or unhelpful test prep.

Format shift

Teaching praise is stronger in person; online quality ratings are more polarized.

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

78/100

Exams and , with homework and occasional papers secondary.

Format shift

and in person; research methods adds papers and a poster/project.

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

33 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

In person, lectures are widely praised as fun and clear; success still depends on studying for and .

Main concern

and .

What students said

“You can bring one-side page of notes to the test but still a little difficult, so be sure to study.”
PSYC211

“the , so make sure you prep ahead of time!”
PSYC100

“Easy A if you actually put in the work!”
PSYCH100

Remote format

Online

17 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

supportive structure and materials for some, but many , and high stress.

Main concern

, and screen share plus heavy weekly workload.

What students said

“there were 4 exams, all proctored online on Zoom with screen sharing, but overall an easy class.”
PSYC100

“they are taken trough zoom with camera, microphone, and screen shared, they have 50 questions, and have to be taken in 50 minutes max.”
PSYC100

“Tests more than 80% of grade, 100 questions, 5 for whole semester, and are RIDICULOUS”
PSYC100

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are high-stakes and often closed-book; online and screen share.

Zoom proctoring with cameraScreen sharing requiredClosed bookTest heavySometimes one-page notes

Assessment risk

Strict

38/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and grade-heavy; some sections allow a one-page note sheet and provide study guides.

Test heavyStudy guidesOne-page notes sometimes allowedMultiple choice quizzes and exams

“You can bring one-side page of notes to the test but still a little difficult, so be sure to study.”
PSYC211

“the , so make sure you prep ahead of time!”
PSYC100

Online

Multiple online reviews describe Zoom-proctored closed-book exams with camera, mic, and screen sharing under tight time limits.

Zoom proctoringCamera and mic requiredScreen shareClosed bookTimed multiple choice

“all proctored online on Zoom with screen sharing”
PSYC100

“taken trough zoom with camera, microphone, and screen shared, they have 50 questions, and have to be taken in 50 minutes max”
PSYC100

“ as well”
PSYC100

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Dont listen to the negative reviews on here. Dr. Os classes are very manageable if you arent lazy. That being said, you will have to read from the book every week.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, balancing and workload complaints. Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

82/100

“His lectures were never boring and I always looked forward to his class.”

📝

38/100

“Tests more than 80% of grade, 100 questions, 5 for whole semester, and are RIDICULOUS”

👍 Recommendation Split

76/100

“If !”

📚 Workload Reality

34/100

“Too intense in reading, and homework for 3 units, I work more for this class than a 5 unit class”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

makes learning fun
Lectures were structured well
passionate about psych

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Easy A if you actually put in the work
You have to work hard, but you can't get good grades

Theme 3

🧪

proctored online on Zoom with screen sharing
closed book as well
one-side page of notes to the test

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

88/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty reviews across online and teaching praise and exam-workload stress.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 559

4 out of 55

3 out of 50

2 out of 50

1 out of 510

Course coverage

PSYC10019 reviews

PSCY1007 reviews

PSYC2116 reviews

PSYCH1006 reviews

PSYCH2306 reviews

Show 2 more courses

PHCY1003 reviews

PSYC2303 reviews

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

41 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 5 · A 14 · A- 2

B range

B+ 3 · B 7 · B- 1

C range

C+ 2 · C 1

D range

No reported values

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Incomplete 1 · Rather not say 4

Matthew O'Brien

x x if you will study the book, use his guides, and x x x x if you want a low-effort easy A.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Standard

Optional

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

📝 x x

👍 Recommendation Split

📚 Workload Reality

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

🧪 x x x x

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 will study the book, use his guides, and if you want a low-effort easy A.

📝

🧪