14BL is an extremely easy class.

Labs are a piece of care because Pang tells you exactly what you need on each part to get full points. The only difficult part on the labs is the Assignment part. The problems itself aren't hard, but if you don't have proper sig figs (the rules seem to differ every time) or show proper work, you'll lose points. But you'll be fine if you just check it with someone else.

CPRs are very easy too. Just answer every question explicitly in your text and you'll for sure get at least an 8/10. Grading other peoples' papers are so easy too...I don't know why everyone is complaining. You just check to see if they answered the questions or not and just deduct points based on how many they failed to answer. That's all.

Now, for tests. I don't know where the hell these kids got the idea that Pang's tests are totally "conceptual." It's true that he says from day one that his tests will be conceptual, but they really aren't. You guys are mistaking word problems for being "conceptual" problems. On the midterm that I just took, there was only one conceptual question involving Beer's Law and selecting which graph would be appropriate. The other ones were just word problems with lengthy explanations that end up boiling down to "find the molarity, ppm, w/v%, etc." Another one was "is this a buffer?" and "what makes a good buffer?" Not conceptual at all.

I can sorta see where frustration would arise, though. The lab manual tends to be confusing at first. Also, Pang kinda throws concepts at you and expects you to know/remember them, like titrations.

Overall great class. My easiest this quarter.

There is absolutely no reason this class should be as difficult or as time-consuming as it is, especially considering that it is only 3 units!!! The labs are the biggest chunk of your grade so rack up all the points you can on these. Though this is time consuming, it is worth your time to do well on. The CPRs (online writing assignments) are also kind of random because it's basically dependent on how good you are at grading other people's CPRs and how good you are at rating your own. Don't worry about these at all because you can only try your best and wish for the best. As for the midterm and final - RIDICULOUS is all I can say. I've done well in every single chem lecture of the 14 series, did the study guide, went to every single 8 am lecture, and even read the books, and I still did horribly on both of Pang's tests. I think the reason for this is that there is nowhere to get help in this class in order to succeed on the exams. Pang is very unhelpful (though very nice and much more pleasant mannered than you'd expect from what you see in lecture) in office hours, the TAs have no idea what's going on in terms of helping you with the midterm/final, and there is basically nowhere you can turn to in order to find out what concepts he wants you to know. Pang is not necessarily a bad lecturer - he goes at the SPEED OF LIGHT but he speaks fairly clearly and the accent is not bothersome at all. However, what he lectures on barely shows up on the exams, and if it does, it's twisted and/or hidden somehow. I've heard Russell isn't that much better, so you don't really have too much of a choice, but just be prepared and don't feel bad if you don't do well - it probably isn't your fault, especially if you put in all the time/studying/effort that you could. The chem labs at UCLA just need to be restructured to be as fair as the lecture classes.

The reviews on this page on Pang are too exaggerated.. I think Pang was a GREAT professor. Though you have to study a LOT and take GOOD lecture notes, his class is fair and not too difficult (though you have to put in quite some time for the labs). He is VERY concerned about student learning and is VERY helpful in office hours. Most of the people posting negative comments on this probably never went to his office hours. Dr. Pang does have an accent and goes tremendously fast during lecture, he needs to go fast in order to cover all the material you need to know. HE HAS NO OTHER CHOICE!! if you take good lecure notes and study hard for the exams, you will do well in the class. I got a 50% in one of the CPRs, but i still got a good grade in his class.

Dr Pang is a wonderful professor who really takes the time to help his students after-class. Although he zooms through his lectures, he is always in his office and willing to explain in more detail what he taught in lecture. His exams are very conceptual. You really have to fully understand the labs to do well in the class. Dr. Pang is truly a very caring and patient professor and can be very helpful if you take the time to visit his office.

Pang is an "ok" teacher. His lectures which are once a week are extremely important since questions on the midterm and final come up from lecture. Be sure to pay attention to the 50 min lecture because he squeezes every minute and second he can explaining experiments and labs while talking at a insane crazy speed.

If you take Pang be prepared for the killer midterm and Final which will make or break your grade. Go over the practice exams and CONCEPTS since Pang likes to throw out the unexpected.

Seriously, Pang is overrated. I was dead scared when I first took his class, but now I realize that he isnt that hard as you think he is. It's simply a FALSE REPUTATION. I think his high ratings for difficulty comes from his 20BL class, but for 14BL, he's a good professor. His lectures are clear and he even gives you lecture handouts to follow through. Labs are easy, everyone gets high 90s on his lab reports. Tests weren't that hard as I thought they were. Couple ppl scored in the high 90s too--but of course, there are alwasy those complete slackers that do bad on his tests and lower the average. Main point: dont be scared about his tests or the average score. Basically, if you study moderately, u'll do fine. for me, I only studied 1 day before the final, and I did pretty well on it. I highly recommend him.

Pang is NOT that bad, go to his office hours at least once and you'll realize what I mean. He really cares about making sure you understand the material.

Contrary to what most people think, Dr. Pang is actually a really nice guy. The ONLY two complaints that I have about him are that his final was a bit hard (but not horrible so stop whining) and he's a bit hard to understand, but he makes up very well for that during office hours. He is ALWAYS available and ALWAYS more than willing to help. He even gives you answers to some questions on labs when you ask! He has review sheets for his tests, which do help alot. And really, he is a nice guy and cares about his students and their learning. I threw away one of my solutions on accident once during a lab and he didn't take off any points and still gave me an A in the class! I don't think many other professors will do that. And now it's the next quarter one summer after I took the class and he said "how'd you like your grade?" to me when I saw him on campus. Even though he's nice... YOU STILL HAVE TO STUDY! don't get me wrong now...

Oh please... Pang isn't that bad. He is not evil. This is UCLA, so any south campus major should be getting used to the HK accent. A lot of the grade rests on your TA, who grades your pre/post-labs, which are the bulk of the grade. Considering that most people copy labs and don't actually do the work themselves, it is no wonder that they fail the midterm and final.

Any lab class at this university requires tedious calculations and writing long procedures. Pang's class is no exception. People probably think 14BL is so hard because it's the first lab class they've taken at a university. Get used to it, kiddos.

After putting up with countless teachers who didn't care about the worthless classes they teach in high school, it is very discouraging to find the same situation in college with Johnny Pang and his Labs. This man just doesn't give a damn, and it shows. I got an A in the class and I didn't learn a thing, except how to pipet 5ml aliquots of mystery substances for reasons which remain beyond me. This disorganized class leaves you with an anxious feeling all quarter long; if you're not anxious about your grade like most of the uptight premeds you're going to be taking this class with, then you'll be anxious about the fact that in a college course you could be learning so little. However, it's an unfortunate necessity, so I'll give you my best advice for the exams as someone who's been there: DON'T STUDY! The exams are conceptual, and you learned the concepts in 14A. Studying only causes undue stress and confusion, as is evidenced by the countless people lamenting Pang's heartless destruction of their GPA. Other than that, just grin and bear it, it's guaranteed to be an uncomfortable ride.