For Physics 5A:
Professor Ong can be a little arrogant at times (he even told us to tell him when he's being arrogant), but at the end of the day I did learn a lot. He is a bit of a stickler for the rules and department guidelines, but that's ok he's just being cautious. He was very understanding after the whole COVID mishap shortened our quarter and the exam became online.

I really liked taking this class, he genuinely makes physics less scary. The first midterm was very easy, median grade in the 80s, and the second one was pretty hard, the median in the 60s. The course is structured a way that your first midterm saves your second midterm grade. The textbook and homework are very useful, his tests are difficult but straightforward and from the assigned material. He is a very nice professor, and although he had a rough start at the beginning of COVID-19 related changes, but he made it pretty accessible and allowed people to opt-out. He provides practice exams -not super related but if you get the concepts down you should do so on the test as well. Also, the class is on a curve with the average set to be a B (lifted to B+ for my quarter) and I somehow managed to go through the whole course without knowing this. He does not, however, curve down in the way that people getting 90s wouldn't get As. The labs are super easy to get full points on.

Professor Ong is very kind and is extremely knowledgable about physics. However, I often felt looked down on when I asked a question or went to office hours. As someone who had never taken a Physics course in their life prior to this, I assume he felt like I was asking "stupid" questions and he often answered my questions (and the questions of others) with another question rather than giving a straight answer. His lectures were pretty engaging and he posts the lecture slides as well as gets them podcasted which was great for reviewing for exams. The exams killed my grade. Each midterm (2) was 15% and the final was worth 25%. The remainder was made up from lab (15%), homework (15%), online quizzes (5%), iClicker (5%), and discussion attendance (5%). I had an 85% in the class up until the final, but scored a 40% on the final and ended up with a 75% in the class. After his curving, I was bumped up to a C+. The class as a whole bombed the final, the average was a 65% and he said he was forced to curve.

Overall, if you are familiar with Physics and have good study skills, take Ong. He's a good lecturer that wants his students to succeed, but keep in mind he isn't the most approachable despite him repeatedly saying that he is. No extra credit and the exams were restricted to 50 minutes. He's nice, but be cautious and study hard.

Professor Ong is one of the best teachers I have had so far at UCLA. He's a really nice guy and really does care if you learn. If you pay attention in class and do the problems that he suggests for review and look at his review notes, you're good to go. He's very fair and made physics bearable! Awesome teacher! Take him if you have the chance, you won't regret it.

The material is easy at the beginning but does get hard! You have to make sure you understand the copncepts behind the material and practice practice practice! His tests are pretty easy, but the time can be an issue.

This class isn't extremely difficult, but it does require a sizable amount of studying on the student's part. Having that said, the tests weren't impossibly difficult so long as you studied well ahead of time. Understanding is key in this class...he's not your plug and chug kind of professor. During lecture, he's not the best person to ask questions (haha, sometimes he simply ignored questions he deemed stupid), but during office hours or after class, he's cool to talk to. I recommend.