Irving Lai

MATH160 · MATH71 · MATH51A · MATH51 · MATH181 · MATH150 · MATH180 · 83 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 88/100
RMP rating: 4.1/5
Take again: 76%
Difficulty: 3.3

The decision

if you will attend, study practice problems, and want a funny professor who makes exams match what he teaches.

Best fit · Effort For RewardHilarious clear lecturesExam-matched practiceRetakes and grade replaceTest-heavy fair structureHighly accessible outside class

Students overwhelmingly praise clear, funny lectures that make calc and precalc click.
Grade is mostly quizzes, three exams, and a final; .
; some COVID-era online sections report harsher, longer exams and .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

FairEffort

62/100

As and high grades are common if you do practice and , but and online terms can punish small mistakes.

; online COVID sections report tougher exam averages.

Is the course easy?

Standard

52/100

Lectures make concepts manageable, , and series topics still require real study.

; online often felt harder after material was lengthened.

Is attendance flexible?

Varies

58/100

Attendance is sometimes optional and homework ungraded, but and .

Both formats mix optional attendance with .

Is this professor recommended?

WorthIt

80/100

About three in four would take again, with recent in-person reviews pushing must-take energy despite older online pushback.

online COVID-era reviews.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

68/100

some exams, and homework often completion-only; online step deductions reduce leniency.

Format shift

In person is more forgiving; .

Workload

Light

62/100

Many terms have no graded homework or and exams.

Format shift

Some online and older sections report tons of homework; .

Teaching experience

Excellent

87/100

Dominant theme is funny, clear lectures, approachable help including phone texting, and real understanding over memorization.

Format shift

Teaching praise spans formats; online .

Assessment method

FocusOnExams

84/100

Typical structure is quizzes, three midterms, and a .

Format shift

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

39 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

In person he is frequently called the best math professor: , and personal help.

Main concern

You still must study; and missing class makes catch-up difficult.

What students said

“ ! 3 Tests, 1 Final, 1 .”
math180

“You will actually understand the math instead memorizing steps!!”
math180

“THE GOAT. took for 180. Very funny and .”
MATH181

Remote format

Online

11 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

strong teaching and accessibility, but , and strict partial-credit loss after COVID cheating concerns.

Main concern

and harsher, with and limited partial credit.

What students said

“ 60-70”
MATH181

“ . and legit my exam scores bombed every time”
MATH160

“Ask any question you have and he will answer in a respectful way. Gives phone # to text whenever you need to”
MATH181

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams usually match practice closely and include recovery options in person, but can be long and strict on shown work online.

Exams mirror homeworkPractice tests and study guidesRetake or final replaceNo cheat sheet oftenStrict work-shown grading online

Assessment risk

Standard

58/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

In-person exams and study guides, with and fair difficulty when you prepare.

HW-like examsMakeup or retakeFinal replaces lowestStudy guides

“ he gives.”
math180

“ and is also very funny, which makes class enjoyable.”
math180

“While other professor's allow you to have a cheat sheet, Professor Lai doesn't but gives”
MATH181

Online

Online comments stress , and full-point loss for missing simple steps; proctoring tools are not clearly proven.

Tough long examsStrict step gradingLots of homeworkPop quizzes after lecture

“ he can. and hard be prepared”
MATH181

“even if you miss one small . Not even partial credit even if you got close”
MATH160

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“If you need to take pre calculus or Calc 1 . He lectures so well, I've never had a math educator as good as him ever before.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (11 online, 39 in person), contrasting in-person lecture love with . Credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

87/100

“He broke down calculus into ways so students could understand, it's amazing. !!”

😂 Classroom Energy

90/100

“He's the funniest teacher I've ever had and .”

📊 Grade Recovery

70/100

“He will let you retake 1 exam, drop the , and .”

⚠️

40/100

“ 60-70”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

lectures so well, I've never had a math educator as good as him
Incredible on breaking down concepts into manageable pieces
makes trig content real easy to understand

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

Most of so study those

Theme 3

📱 About Accessibility

offered his personal number so students can text him
always willing to help out students
Willing to help students in any way, no matter what the question may be

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

90/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews with strong recent volume and in-person teaching and mixed online exams highly credible.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 550

4 out of 513

3 out of 59

2 out of 59

1 out of 53

Course coverage

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Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

47 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 15 · A- 3

B range

B+ 8 · B 3

C range

C 5 · C- 2

D range

D 2

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 6 · Rather not say 1

Irving Lai

x x x x if you will attend, study practice problems, and want a funny professor who makes exams match what he teaches.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

FairEffort

Standard

Varies

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

😂 Classroom Energy

📊 Grade Recovery

⚠️ x x x

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty & Grades

📱 About Accessibility

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 attend, study practice problems, and want a funny professor who makes exams match what he teaches.

⚠️