he is definitely not a good professor but you will be fine as long as you are willing to put in the effort :)

Chayes is not nearly as hard as rumors say, but the rumors are not wrong when they say he's a horrid professor. His lectures are the most confusing of any teacher I've ever had and it's better to skip them entirely and just study off the homework. Make sure you know how to do every problem in the back of your head, and to understand underlying concepts. Abuse office hours and the class shouldn't be difficult. It's a matter of effort and you'll just have to overcome the absence of a teacher actually interested in teaching.

I had a 99 before the final but my low grade post-final was mostly my own fault. You have to put in the effort to stay on track, but if you're on track then it's almost a matter of memorization for his tests. Don't make the mistake of falling behind.

I don't understand why people hate Chayes. I thoroughly enjoyed the proofs and the homework. It is challenging but everything on the midterm and final is fair game.

Chayes has no time for anyone and is the worst teacher possible. I know multiple people who put in formal complaints about him.
I had an 88 in his class before the final.
Ended with a C.

Chayes is a great professor. His problem sets are not as difficult as rumored. Instead, they help you both understand the course materials and prepare the tests. His tests are also really easy. For 2 midterms, the full scores are 115(which means you can lose 15 points while still getting an 100). Most of the midterm problems are from the problem sets. However, to get an 100, you still need to work at least one of the most difficult questions. The final is 200/225. However, it is totally different from midterms and problem set. All the problems are new ones and are a little more difficult than the easy problems in midterms. However, the hardest problems in the final are much easier than those in midterms. His lectures are also funny and useful. The teaches you not only the formula but also how the formula were derived, theoretically. Would recommend this professor. Do not miss his lectures!

Let me start by saying that he is the best professor ever! I understood everything he said in class and I was certainly engaged throughout the lecture, not a single yawn! His proofs were certainly useful in solving the homework problems and most importantly the exam problems. The jokes that he tell and his love for fashion that he displays with varying colorful clothes will sure keep you attracted to his lectures. He will huff and puff throughout the lecture, but it will only help you pay more attention to the lectures! This is the best class ever, don't take any other professor, take only this professor for Math 32A. I guarantee you that you will not regret it!!!!!

I don't mind having difficult homework and difficult tests. In other circumstances, I would have loved it. What I do mind is that Chayes had purposefully unclear and sometimes even misleading lectures. One time, he just wrote an equation with completely new notation most of the class had not seen before, and then immediately erased it. He finished a lecture in the middle of the proof just scribbling a few lines with an "etc etc." That's not good teaching.
And he huffs and puffs like the Big Bad Wolf.

32B with Chayes is still the math class I have enjoyed the most since coming to UCLA.

Instead of going through boring example problems during lecture like many other professors, Chayes actually shows you HOW things work. His lectures may not be the best organized, but if you actually sit down and really try to understand your notes after lecture, you will learn a lot.
His homework problems ARE challenging, but they are a lot of fun and make you much better at thinking analytically when it comes to math. You'll pick up a lot of useful tools and tricks that will help you on exams if you actually make an effort for the homework. Make sure you go to your discussion section and find a good TA. Once you have a good TA, you're set.
Finally, the exams are not difficult. I scored 100 on both midterms and probably also got an A on the final (final exam grades were not shown). All I did to prepare was go over the notes and make sure I knew how to do all the homework problems.
Bottom line: if you actually enjoy math, want to learn and enjoy challenges, go for it! If you hate math, definitely don't take Chayes. If you just want the grade - go for it!

Professor Chayes is honestly one of the best professors in the entire world! His super engaging and thrilling lectures really prepared me for Math 32B! The hours he spent on proofs really gave me a much better understanding of multivariable calculus! Im glad I took professor Chayes as clearly no other professor can reach to the level professor Chayes teaches at.
Oh yea, and just to mention, professor Chayes' stylish clothes will make you want to come to every single lecture!
Kappa

Homework: Wtf... seriously the homework was really hard. I mean there is no way any one student could finish it on their own or with each other. The TA's are the only way to get homework done and my TA even had difficulty solving some of the problems. Chayes doesn't use a book so you're really on your own when solving these. The first one was easy at least.

Tests: Actually the tests weren't too bad. If you want to do well, study the homework hard and also look back on past midterms. He often pulls exact questions from the homework and past midterms and pastes them to your midterm. Averages for both midterms were fairly high. The final was way different. He didn't copy and paste any problems from past material and the questions were totally unique. By far the hardest test I have ever taken and needless to say, I failed. I honestly don't know how I could have prepared differently. This class makes no sense.

Lectures: Stay away. You won't learn anything. I never understood anything that was going on. He basically stands at the board and writes proofs for an hour. Are they connected in any way? I doubt it and he never made anything clear. Did they have anything to do with the homework or tests? Honestly, I don't think so. I did fine on the midterms and didn't understand a word he said. You would be fine if you skipped every lecture. The homework is the only way to do well. There's no book to learn out of.

Discussion: Absolutely you need to go to discussion. The TA's were awesome and are the only way to do the homework.

Overall: Just don't do it. I know many of you won't have a choice so this is more of a warning. He's a funny guy and I enjoyed his lectures even if I learned absolutely nothing. In fact, I probably lost knowledge by attending his lectures just because they were so confusing. You'll do fine if you ace both midterms and homeworks (which is totally doable). As for the final, just cross your fingers.