Hardest courses in Mathematics

Students report frequent weekly quizzes, often with short time limits, and exams that do not align with lecture content, requiring significant self-study.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews of Anakewit Boonkasame, Fabian Waleffe, Ronald Dickey: Exams are often described as extremely difficult, long, and harder than the homework. The workload is heavy, with tight deadlines and challenging quizzes that require significant preparation.[1, 2, +2]

The course is difficult, requiring significant time for homework and textbook reading, with exams heavily weighted and often drawn from previous assignments.[1, 2, +2]

One historical review rated the difficulty as very low, suggesting minimal effort was required.[1]

Joseph Miller's course involves minimal homework and exams that are considered manageable, though one student noted the lack of notecards. Chanwoo Kim's course is described as difficult, with grades heavily dependent on midterms and lectures deemed unhelpful.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews: Many reviewers describe the course as difficult, citing unclear exams, unfair grading, and lectures that require self-teaching. One student found the workload manageable if they had prior calculus knowledge, noting tests matched review materials.[1, 2, +8]

Reviewers describe the workload as heavy, with time-consuming homework and brutal exams. The course requires deep knowledge of in-depth proofs, making it challenging for non-elite math majors.[1]

Historical reviews of Alexander Hanhart, Joel Robbin, Mikhail Feldman: Alexander Hanhart assigns time-consuming homework, while Mikhail Feldman's quizzes are comically hard despite exams matching the textbook. Joel Robbin also gives long assignments.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews of Prerna Gera: Prerna Gera's course required over ten hours of weekly homework and relied heavily on the textbook due to unclear lectures.[1]

Reviewers describe the workload as fairly light and note that Dr. Phillipson’s clear grading criteria make studying manageable, despite the inherent difficulty of the subject matter.[1, 2, 3]

The course is considered very difficult, with hard assignments that require significant study time, though group work is permitted. Exams are reported as easier than homework, although one student found the final exam unexpectedly difficult despite its stated format.[1, 2, +2]

Historical reviews of Yukun Yue: Yukun Yue’s course was reported as difficult, with exams containing unexpected proofs and varying in difficulty compared to practice materials. Success required significant study effort and reliance on practice problems.[1, 2, 3]

Some students report that homework and exams are difficult, requiring memorization of proofs from notes rather than independent thinking. They criticize the lack of introductory proof instruction and contradictory materials.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews of Benedek Valko, Erik Bates: Workload varies by instructor; one review cites an extremely challenging final, while another notes fair homework and adjusted exam weights to reward improvement.[1, 2]

The course features a sharp difficulty curve and strict grading with no rounding. Workload consists of minimal homework, with three exams comprising almost the entire grade.[1, 2]

The course is rated as moderately difficult. Negative perceptions may stem from students encountering a hard math class for the first time rather than the instructor's teaching.[1]

Reviewers describe the course as difficult, citing tough exams, lengthy proofs, and time-consuming homework as the main challenges.[1, 2, +4]

The course is dense and challenging. Homework is feasible but requires reading the textbook, as lectures may not fully explain concepts. Exams often draw directly from the book and previous tests.[1, 2, +8]

The workload is light, with homework being optional and grading based on a few exams and weekly quizzes. Students report that doing the homework and attending class is sufficient for success, as exam prep mirrors the actual tests.[1, 2, 3]

Homework and exam difficulty is described as perfect and very doable, with a good textbook provided.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Arun Ram, Betsy (Lindsay) Stovall: The course is difficult, with homework described as impossible to finish and lectures moving at a fast pace, requiring significant effort and careful note-taking.[1, 2]

The course includes five graded homeworks, two midterms, and a final. While some find exams manageable with lecture notes, others report they are unexpectedly difficult or narrowly focused.[1, 2, 3]

Reviewers describe the workload as manageable with relative homework, but note a large volume of material and a tough class environment requiring strong math preparation.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews of Andrej Zlatos, Boguk Kim, Prerna Gera: Students report that homework often differs significantly from quizzes and exams, requiring extra preparation. Workload varies, with some instructors assigning helpful practice while others make assessments disproportionately difficult.[1, 2, 3]

Homework is easy, but midterm exams are described as insanely hard, though graded leniently based on comprehension.[1]

Historical reviews of Arun Ram, Mingzhong Cai: Workload varies significantly; Arun Ram assigned tons of homework causing late nights, while Mingzhong Cai’s take-home exams required over ten hours per midterm despite being difficult.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Howard Becker, Jack Burkart: Homework is described as moderate or hard and time-consuming. Exams are moderate to difficult, requiring students to apply class concepts to construct their own proofs.[1, 2]

Seppalainen assigns challenging homework that is harder than exams, while Valko uses a grading scheme based on multiple weighted components rather than heavy testing.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Joshua Mundinger, Paul Apisa, Paul Terwilliger, Uri Andrews: Students report substantial weekly homework loads, sometimes exceeding 20 hours, and exams that cover extensive material, though some instructors offer flexibility or generous grading.[1, 2, +2]

The course is described as difficult and intense, with long homeworks, high-stakes exams, and a significant gap between lecture content and test material.[1, 2, +6]