Okay, honestly, I didn't think he was that bad. His course reader will take a huge bite out of your wallet, but it was helpful, and it did have most things covered on his exams in it.
Scerri himself was a good lecturer and real amusing, so you'll have a decent time unless you're the guy he's making fun of for sleeping in class. Beware though, his midterm is A LOT easier than his final, so even if you do well on the midterm, don't assume you'll be fine in the class.
Homework is okay, but Thinkwell is a pain in the behind. They give crazy tests that are sometimes include more than what Scerri's teaching, so if most people think it's too hard, go tell Scerri, and he'll get the points back for you.

Scerri is great to listen to during lectures because he often makes very witty and funny remarks, although if you're the one that they are directed towards, then you'll probably be embarrassed while the rest of the class has a good laugh. If you attend every lecture and pay attention to what he says, you'll probably do well on the midterm and final, half of which are straight math problems and the other half of which is conceptual material that you'll find in the course reader and in lectures. That being said, Scerri is out to get your money. He charges 70 something dollars for a course reader and a workbook (although the workbook is rather helpful for studying) and 30 something for an online quizzing program that is mandatory because it determines your grade. People say you shouldn't buy the textbook but I got mine online for like 10 bucks and if you can find it cheap (3rd or 4th ed), it'll be a great supplement to your conceptual understanding of the material. Overall, I recommend Scerri. You'll do fine as long as you don't slack off from reviewing what's in the reader.

let me first start off by saying that i am a student athlete here at ucla. my opinion about him is probably not held to the bar of the students that got here with their amazing smarts, but scerri is probably one of my favorite teachers i have had at ucla. although i got a c in this class, i signed up to take the 14b with him because it was easy for me to grasp the materials.. i know all you ridiculously smart people must think that if i got a c i obviously didnt get anything he was teaching me. my advice: dont wait until the last second to start studying for the final, do the thinkwell quizzes BEFORE they are do (dumb athlete mistake, i know), read the reader and understand the concepts. i felt like i could slack off and still be able to make it out with at least a B in the class, i was sadly mistaken and ended up with the first and ONLY c i have ever received in my lifetime. i cant wait to take 14b and prove myself worthy of his time. oh, GO TO OFFICE HOURS. he really isnt that intimidating if you give him coffee!

This is the BEST professor ever and might I say has a really good talent in playing the guitar and he's pretty handsome. People say he's rude but really he's not, he just wants people to listen to him when he's lecturing and talking when he's speaking is pretty rude!! I loved his awesome and fun demos and they took time away from class so it was a nice thing to do. All you have to do to get an A in his class is to really know his reader and take some notes in it while he's lecturing, so ya it would help if some people weren't goofing around and chating. If you don't understand his reader then I suggest you go through the corresponding chapters in the book and make notes. That's another way that I learned. The online quizzes are kind of hard but it boosts up your grade. Overall, he's a really good teacher, nice and generous for curving the grades!!

scerri is a good professor. even though he may be rude at times, he still teaches really well. i just took the final and i thought it wasn't too bad. just memorize the course reader and practice problems in the pink book (a book with past midterms & finals). also, get a good ta. it's important to understand concepts as well and if you have a good ta, it will guarantee a better grade in the class. just try not to get below the curve on exams.

Taking prior chemistry classes will help you immensely in this class. Knowing the material in the course reader, in the way the course reader presents it, is essential in performing well. The textbook is rather unnecessary, with the assigned problems in the back of each chapter only as extra preparation if you're anxious about an upcoming exam. His lectures go by rather quickly, with his demo and 2 minute break eating up time. Gagik is awesome. Definitely go to his reviews, and I recommend attending his discussion. Even if you aren't enrolled in his discussion, forget the section you are enrolled in, and just go to his.

I don't know why everyone is complaining about Dr. Scerri being arrogant. I don't recall him ever picking on anyone personally unless they're just complaining about the workload - which I felt was very reasonable. Dr. Scerri is an excellent teacher and gives good explanations which can also be found in the course reader - this information generally serves as the basis for test questions. The lectures move quite fast (it's not his fault that there's alot of material, but makes course reader is even more important) and it helps a lot if you have taken AP Chemistry but it's not the end of the world if you didn't. I didn't take any chemistry prior to this course and although I found it challenging, I scraped by with an A-. Dr. Scerri's office hours are especially helpful as well as the review sessions before exams. Although he is often perceived as intimidating, he is actually quite approachable and very willing to re-explain material and answer questions.

First, I HATE CHEMISTRY!!! I never liked it, and I will never like it. However, I still managed to get a decent grade: B-. I never did any of the homework or reading and procrastinated when it came for studying for the midtertms and finals. Plus, I am not one of those God-given brain children that can slack off. All this and I still managed a B-. Everything on his midterms and finals are in his course reader and are fair. No real surprises. Lectures are quite boring and it is easy to doze off. However, his arrogance is hilarious and his demonstrations are pretty cool. Online mastering chemistry can be very frustrating and tedious. Overall, Scerri isn't the best at teaching the material but getting a decent grade in the class is pretty easy. His curve is very generous. He takes the average score of the class and makes that a B-/C+. Basically, if you want an A, you have to do homework and not procrastinate. If you would be happy with an average grade, just study the course reader and do practice problems before the exams.

Ok, let me give you the down low on how to succeed in Scerri's class. Number one, atend class. I kow that it might sound boring, butit really helps. Pay atention to what Scerri is saying, especially when he writes it down, that usually means that he would want you to learn it for the miderm or final. Second, get familiar with your reader. Don't get me wrong, it is not essential toknow yourreader front and back. My suggestion is follow the reader first, refer to the book for clarification, or profe Scerri (or the ta's- who are all cool, cool, people). Please note that at first Scerri can seem to be a little,if not a lot arrogant. I honestly think that that is just the British in him. If you have foriegn-born parents, you know how behaviors can change with different nationalities. Don't get caught up in how much you hate a teacher, if anythin, that is just hurting your grade because you are clouded with all this hate in your blood. Take him for who he is, your teacher. Get the grade and get on with your ife. In all, I would recomend taking this teacher because I actually learned from his class: both chemistry and good test taking skills. Hope this helps.
p.s.- to all those ladies who like the handsome old-enough-to-be-my-father look, I understand. He is pretty cute, and his accent is hot. But please, he is your teacher.

One of the funniest, most amazing professors ever. He's funny, reasonable and really smart. His humor and wit definately made the class much more enjoyable. His tests are very fair, just make sure to attend lecture(why would anyone not want to attend his lectures...he's awesome) and go over the reader. Plus, he does the coolest demos in class, gives you a 2 minute break to refresh and has long office hours in case you have any questions. I would recommend him to anyone to take. I'm definately sad that I'm not in his class anymore.