Merlic's tests are fair. They're very similar to the practice exams he gives you to study, so as long as you know how to do those types of problems, you'll do fine. He's not my favorite professor but he'll do. He clearly knows his stuff but also has a huge ego about it which can be rather intimidating in terms of asking for help. He often answers questions that are asked in lecture by asking another student in the class which seems a little dismissive sometimes.

Overall really great guy. The material is tough but he makes it digestible. Be sure to practice outside of class on your own because he doesn't assign homework.

So this was my first quarter after transferring and I was planning on taking Chem 14D , but transfers are not able to take this class and must take 30B. Anyways this class is totally doable and Merlic goes above and beyond to make sure you understand the material when you go to office hours. Even though I got a C+ in this class I felt I learned a lot , just like the following comments suggest this class was definitely self taught but Merlic gives a good foundation of the concepts required for you to prepare and be able to succeed on the exams. This class definitely was challenging but it was a good experience and taught me a lot about how to study for future classes that are abit challenging like this one. Both exams were more than fair , it was the silly mistakes I made that held me back , but this class killed my 4.0 but it was a lot of fun taking this class!

IMO the best o-chem professor here, even better than Chen if you took her class. This guy gets straight to the point in both lectures and exams. His lectures are fast-paced but manageable if you get used to them after one or two weeks. The exams have no tricky parts (maybe except the mechanism question in his final) and are similar to his previous exams. Spectroscopy can be hard at first glance but after you get your hand on a few practice problem sets you'll feel good. The only downside is that the discussion session is kinda a waste of time but you have to attend them for like 10 points.

Chem GOD. Spec is whack, but there really isn't a better way to teach it than Merlic does. It's hard sure, but once you learn it and stare at it for long enough it starts to make sense. Otherwise the class is just a bunch of reactions (not so much mechanisms). The only annoying part is how heavily weighted theory is on the tests when he barely spends time going over it in class. Do the practice tests and you'll do fine.

Merlic still teaches this class the same as past reviews would let on. I’ll start off by saying he is an extremely competent and knowledgeable professor. He teaches a challenging and no nonsense class, but is also very fair. He lectures and writes very quickly, and it is difficult to keep up, which is a downside. This class is hard if you don’t put in the time and work for it, but Merlic provides nearly endless resources including practice problems, helpful handouts, and sample exams extremely similar to his actual exams. Memorize your reactions, understand mechanisms, and practice. If you can consistently solve the sample problems, you will without a doubt succeed in the exams. Overall I think I learned a lot, and would recommend his class.

Chem 30B is a very hard class, lots of material to cover in a short time. Best way to tackle this class is to read the chapter before class so the rxns don't look brand new when he presents them on the board. Showing up to class is a must because he is a great lecturer and present key information in an easy to learn way. Also a key is to make note cards to memorize the 100 rxns and all the NMR, IR, and Mass Spect #'s. He holds the best office hours and answers all questions very clearly. If you have a choice take him, but just be prepare to study and work hard the class is demanding. He posts practice problems and practice exams on ccle which are very helpful so you don't need to do book problems.
Grading scheme
22% Midterm 1
22% Midterm 2
12% Weekly quiz in discussion (They are easy)
44% Final
5%-Max extra credit for Bacon, Is graded on correctness so pay attention before the quiz at the end of the online session

The test all had low averages and the class was curved so key is just do above average by really making sure you start studying the material multiple days before the test to fully memorize it. Also do all his practice problems twice, they are similar to his test problems (often times a little hard than the test). Overall great professor and I would try to take his class.

Professor Merlic is a pretty cool professor who has an interesting humor, nice personality, and enthusiastic in the lecture hall. However, he does talk with incredible speed and writes at sonic speed when the class learns about reactions, synthesis, and mechanisms. His BruinCast for the class is just an audio podcast, so going to lecture is vital unless you understand what he is saying in the podcast. The class itself is split into two parts: spectroscopy and reactions (mechanisms, synthesis, etc).
Spectroscopy is pretty rough because it's an entirely new concept than what you have learned in CHEM 30A. He provides a ton of spectroscopy handouts and problem sets on CCLE, but most of them are more difficult than the spectroscopy problems on your first midterm and final. Reaction materials, which include mechanisms and synthesis, are much easier to understand than spectroscopy because it is familiar to what was learned in CHEM 30A. However, there is a tremendous amount of reaction content in this class. You know how I said there were 2 parts in this class. I lied; there are 3 parts: spectroscopy, reactions from chapter 11-17, and chapter 18. Chapter 18 contains so many reactions like ~50-60?; it's absolutely ridiculous, but it is what it is.
Midterm 1 (spectroscopy-based) had an average of 73/110, midterm 2 (reactions-based) had an average of 83/112, and the final had an average of 160/230. Tips to do well in Merlic's class: do the problem sets, look at his handouts because they are helpful for synthesis problems and spectroscopy problems, and make flashcards (write them for better memorization; it helps a lot).

He's actually a really good teacher. Chem 30B is a hard subject so obviously it is going to be hard. Doing all the problem sets is really helpful. His problem sets are often harder than the actual test. Most importantly, GET PAST TESTS. He posts some on CCLE but the more you do the better. The exams pretty much ask the same type of questions just different molecules.

Merlic is an absolute monster of a professor. Dude is so stacked with knowledge it's unreal. His speed is unparalleled. His articulation of reactions is concise and clear. His wit and humor even faster than him drawing a cholesterol. I kinda wish 30C was required class for a major so I could take him again.