Vahe Tatoian

PHY2AG · PHYS4B · PHYS4V · PHYSC4B · PH2AG · PHYS2AG · MATH71 · 2A · PHYS2A · PHYS4C · MATH140 · PHS2AG · 159 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 48/100
RMP rating: 3.3/5
Take again: 54.84%
Difficulty: 3.6

The decision

if you want rigorous physics/math prep and can handle a tough, impatient teaching style; if you want an easy A.

Best fit · Hardcore LearnerPolarizing Physics MentorHeavy Homework LoadTough GraderPrepares You for Upper PhysicsImpatient When Asked Questions

Students either praise deep preparation for PHYS 4A/4B or call him the .
Expect lots of , and exams that can be easier than the homework if you put in the work.
Attendance and strong algebra/trig/calc skills are treated as non-negotiable.

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

HardWork

38/100

As are possible with and office hours, but most students and already know algebra to earn a high grade.

Both online and ; online sample is only two reviews.

Is the course easy?

Challenging

28/100

Physics and math content is treated as foundation-level hard, with fast lectures and skipped steps that demand strong prerequisites.

Difficulty is consistently high in both formats based on student comments.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

22/100

and you will not pass, with participation and as required.

In-person reviews dominate this signal; .

Is this professor recommended?

Depends

52/100

About half of students would take him again for serious learning, while many others .

Recommendation split is driven almost entirely by the large in-person sample.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Strict

32/100

and several students report few people passing exams without heavy effort.

Format shift

Workload

Heavy

26/100

Lots of , and weekly problem sets that and often feel harder than tests.

Format shift

Heavy workload is reported in both online and in-person comments.

Teaching experience

Average

56/100

Some students call lectures amazing and inspirational while , and unreadable on the board.

Format shift

Online reviews are more negative about visibility; in-person reviews are more mixed.

Assessment method

Balanced

55/100

, and finals, with tests often said to be easier than homework.

Format shift

Assessment mix is described mainly in in-person reviews.

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

48 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Hardcore Learner

In-person experience is sharply split between students who say he is the . SAC and students , and unfair.

Main concern

, and reports of attitude when students ask basic questions.

What students said

“Quite possibly the most difficult (and most rewarding class) I took at Mt. SAC.”
PHYS4B

“I have never had a worse teacher. and has no patience.”
PHYS2AG

“Best physics 2A professor hands down. Took him during winter and class was super hard, but doable.”
PHY2AG

Remote format

Online

2 reviews

Low confidence · Best fit for Self Taught Pro

one defends him as respected with , the other says board work was unreadable and .

Main concern

Whiteboard writing was hard to see online and students felt he would not slow down.

What students said

“Be very wary of the negative reviews. There is some validity to what they say but most of the problem lies within the student”
2A

“Couldn't see what he was doing on the board, wouldn't slow down, his explaining is choppy and useless.”
MATH140

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Exams are generally closed-format standard tests tied to lectures and .

Homework-driven prepTests can be easier than HWLecture and notes basedNo study guide sometimes

Assessment risk

Standard

48/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

and homework patterns, can be tough, and sometimes feel easier than weekly homework.

Lecture-based examsHomework harder than testsFree-response style mentioned

“ .”
PHY2AG

“The .”
PHYS2AG

“ .”
PHYS2A

Online

Online reviews do .

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“Generally, if you're looking to get an easy A, , but if you're looking to learn, Tatoian is the man.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews (2 online, 48 in person), highlighting polarizing teaching, heavy workload, and . Credibility rating: High.

⚖️ Polarizing Teaching Quality

56/100

“I can't thank him enough! He is the best. He is so good that he made me change my major to physics!”

📚 Heavy Workload Reality

26/100

“His weekly homework assignments take about 6 hours to do because notes taken in class don't help with all the questions.”

🎯

52/100

“If you're an engineering or physics . He is not an easy professor, but really prepares you for 4A.”

😤 Impatience Complaint

32/100

“expects you to know everything and loses patients when you ask questions”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He and prepares you very well for 4A.
Nothing he teaches makes sense. but this man.
His humor may come off offensive at first, but he is actually very funny and kind.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

his class is tough but thats because it is the foundation for phys 4A & 4B
Hardly anyone passed the class and .
do the !!!

Theme 3

⏰ and Office Hours

Skip class? You won't pass.
Go to his office hours at 7 am and he will help with any questions.
Work hard and make the sacrifice to go to his office hours which are early morning

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

159

Lifetime ratings

86/100

Evidence confidence

Fifty detailed reviews spanning many years and courses show a consistent polarizing pattern with rich qualitative detail.

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 562

4 out of 532

3 out of 513

2 out of 520

1 out of 532

Course coverage

PHYS2AG11 reviews

MATH1409 reviews

PHYS4B7 reviews

2A5 reviews

PHY2AG4 reviews

Show 8 more courses

MATH713 reviews

PHS2AG3 reviews

PHYS2A2 reviews

PHYS4C2 reviews

711 review

PH2AG1 review

PHYS4V1 review

PHYSC4B1 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

34 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 1 · A 11

B range

B+ 1 · B 5 · B- 1

C range

C+ 1 · C 2 · C- 1

D range

No reported values

F

F 1

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 3 · Not sure yet 4 · Rather not say 2 · Rather_Not_Say 1

Vahe Tatoian

x x x if you want rigorous physics/math prep and can handle a tough, impatient teaching style; x x if you want an easy A.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

HardWork

Challenging

Mandatory

Depends

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.

⚖️ Polarizing Teaching Quality

📚 Heavy Workload Reality

🎯 x x x x x

😤 Impatience Complaint

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty and Grades

⏰ x x and Office Hours

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 rigorous physics/math prep and can handle a tough, impatient teaching style; if you want an easy A.

🎯

⏰ and Office Hours