I took Karney for both 135 and 137, and he is the most energetic lecturer I have ever had. His "Alright: Let's get started!" at the beginning of lecture has become something of a UCLA legend.

The concepts he covers in lecture are very easy to to understand, and his lectures are all organized and entertaining. That being said, the 135 book he uses is MUCH easier to study from than the 137C book (even though he wrote it). The Intimate Relationships book is just paragraphs of text with a few key terms bolded, nonspecific summaries, and it reads like a book. You're going to be asked to remember names and definitions of different concepts, and the 137 book isn't built for reviewing the way that the 135 book is.

His tests are also incredibly nitpicky, when they count. I can guarantee that at least four questions on each test will be about throwaway details that you wouldn't remember to review, though the other questions are pretty straightforward. He doesn't curve, but instead sets very high standards for grades: 93+ is an A, 90-92 is an A-, 86-89 is a B+, etc...And while the numbers look fair, this actually means that if you miss a total of 6 problems on his tests and write a great paper (e.g., 28/30, which is what most people get), you'll still land an A-.

That being said, you should easily be able to get at least a B in his class, and his lectures are great. Just remember that the tests are not as easy as the concepts are.

(137C) Karney is an amazing teacher. He is very passionate about his work. I got a B+ in his class. I would suggest to review your notes (a lot), watch the podcast more than once, and read (but reading should not take your time away from reviewing). He wrote the book and should go over the most important stuff in class. He does throw a few things from the book but, most of the test material is from lecture. I highly recommend this class.

As a graduating senior, I can confidently say that he is my favorite professor from UCLA. I took Psych 135 and 137C with him, and I absolutely loved both of these classes. He is a great lecturer, no doubt about it. Honestly, I am not sure why people complain about his tests so much. I agree that his tests are not on the easy side, but they were NOT terribly difficult. As long as you understand the concept from the lecture and read the textbook, you should be fine. His tests are not meant to measure how good you are at memorizing definitions of concepts; they ask you to understand the concept and apply it to situations. I got A and A- from his classes. If you try, A is definitely in a range. Not an easy class, but very enjoyable and worthwhile.