he tells you what you need to know and his tests are almost predictable

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As easy as it gets, although very boring at times, the material is high school level and you don't even need a book to Ace this class.

So organized and clear. Loves what he teaches, makes lecture interesting even though the subject matter isn't. Tests are really simple if you study. One of the best teachers I've ever had.

Good teacher, very clear. Class is 40% midterm and 60% final, but curves are huge and help everyone. Not a hard class if you actually go. You can either study and read the book or just go to class and pay attention a little, and you will do well.

He will make you laugh all the way through class. I don't suggest going to his office hours though unless you really need to cause he is not so nice there. Yet you can ask ALL the questions you want in class and no question is a stupid question in class

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Not hard. Average is a B for the class.

Well organized and good analogies.

Omg, this is the greatest teacher I've had at Davis yet! He's super clear and organized and basically uses lectures to make the book come to life. He's awesome, and it's pretty easy to pull a descent grade!

He's pretty good for an econ teacher (cuz econ is boring and dry). he keeps you entertained while you actually learn it. his tests are easy. and it's curve!

he's a funny dude. exams are not to bad if you do the practice/sample exams.

Midterms are made by TAs. Since there are different TAs every quarter, the midterms and final CAN be hard or easy depending if the TAs are anal. Overall, he's pretty funny in lecture and clear. Likes to scream in lectures!!

He is a very nice teacher, but he makes his TA do all the work. TA has to make up the tests. This quarter the tests are way too long. 11 pages and you have to complete within 50 minutes. Be prepared before the exam.

His lectures are interesting and quite enjoyable. The midterm exams were each relatively easy, but the final was pretty challenging

Great teacher, knows his stuff, material is presents clearly, class is enjoyable, take his class. fair tests

Best college professor I've ever encountered. Very clear and doesn't try to trick you on midterms and finals. I would reccommend taking him for econ1a.

His lectures didn't really help for the final, but his Practice exams and problem sets ($13) did helluv. Make sure you buy them and study, you'll do well.

Took his lec MWF1-2, the tests were like others had said a little hard and long, but his rating as a professor is good, he knows his material and presents it clearly to students. Would recommend him for ECN001A

Helms is an interesting lecturer, but the TAs write the exams. The problem is the midterms/final are much more difficult than the problem sets, practice tests, and lectures. They were WAY TOO LONG and as such, very difficult. Drop if you don't get good TA

Funny guy, very hyper during class. Do problem sets and extra problems your TA's give you and you'll be fine. You'll probably learn more by reading the book and going to discussions than by going to his lectures.

tests are long and challenging. they dont follow exactly to the practice tests and seemed harder. basically, if you keep up on the reading and do the practice tests, you should be fine without attending class or discussion. teacher is really nice and fun.

Very cool, funny, easy-going guy. Lectures aren't too boring cuz hes got so much energy and shouldn't be hard to pull off a B.

Helms is one of the best professors I've had at Davis! His lectures are so clear (despite the difficult content). Always go to lectures. His tests are super hard! Nevertheless, Professor Helms is funny, innovative, and unpredictable! Just awesome!

Helms is a great professor. He's very clear when he's lecturing, but his midterms and finals are very long. The final was hard, but I still recommend him because he can teach.

If you take notes and go to lecutre, you'll do decent. The only problem is he gives no make up exams WHATSOEVER, and that can skrew you over. His finals and midterms are long and take up practically all the time.

Easy class. Never showed up to discussion/lection. Only came to midterm/final. Just read every now and then in the econ book and you'll do well on the tests. Very straight forward.

The best professor I have ever had! He is very hyper and interesting while he teaches. I recommend going to lectures, doing the problem sets and study for the exams. The practice exams are easiler than the real thing so be prepared cuz the exams are long!

not so easy...i did well but i knew a econ major who didnt pass but read/attended lectures. BEWARE...be good at econ before u enroll or else u will be confused. good prof, hard tests for simplistic concepts!!!

Helms is an awesome teacher! He takes not-so-interesting material and makes it interesting. He is very enthusiastic and loves what he does. Take this class!

Awesome teacher. Made me decide to major in econ. Lectures are fun and interesting. Easy tests

he's a good teacher, funny and energetic. however the material is HARD! he's always drawing graphs and a lot of the materials on the tests are HARD and they don't relate back to his graphs. a lot of reading, a lot of work, HARD CLASS but nice teacher

This is one of the best profs I've ever had.. I took his Econ 1A last year. Energetic, funny and made a lot of sense.

This will be the best Econ teacher you will have at Davis. I have taken three of his courses and countless other econ classes so I speak from experience.

well, hhe speaks clear and he seems to be very good at teaching, but tests are kinda hard if u slept in classes (like me)...his classes are worth considering

Great prof! Almost eliminated the need for reading. Lectures are cohesive, helpfull, and entertaining. He has lots of energy and seems to really enjoy teaching.

loud, scares me. i am a quiet person.

Incredibly easy. I ditched almost all but 4 or 5 lectures and still received an A-. Helms is really a great lecturer though. I honestly regret not attending more lectures.

Great Pro.!If you don't like reading a lot, just take this class!If you go to every class, you will find the class pretty easy.

Funny guy. Exams are easy if you study.

Awesome teacher, if you have to take a class, he's the best option. The subject matter can get hard, but he is great at making it clear(and as engagin as pos go to lecture and you've got a c-B, do his homework B-A, do the helper manual=A-A+. The book gives good ex. need practice problems to do well

Awesome teacher! If you ever need to take an econ class, take it with him. Sometimes material can get a bit confusing but he clear it up. I missed a few lec's and discussions I managed to get a B. If you want an A, go to class take good notes,read the book and you can get an A very easy.

Very good prof. Energetic and entusiastic about econ. One of my first classes here and i want to take more of his courses. He makes everything understandable and clear. Funny and likes his snapple

GREAT lecturer.. material isn't too bad.. the final was pretty hard though.. but curves save the day! So you can't complain too badly. Very clear in lectures.. go to class and take good notes and then reading the book will just be pure review.

very very enthusiastic. however, i found myself still falling asleep. but he's a great lecturer. i guess i'm just not into the subject though.

Damn easy ass class. Just read the book.

Just an all around nice guy who keeps you interseted and gives a more personal feel to his large classes. Common sense will get you a B-/C+ and studying will get you an A. The only thing not so good is the T.A.'s who don't speek much english, but they change.

Very well rounded teacher. Lectures are easy going and interesting. Tests - well there are random difficult questions in them 25 mult. choice=75% and 25% o test is free response. Ahh tests are fair but are harder than the stuff he teaches, so you gotta do a little more than go to lectues for an A/B

Good lecturer...never feel boring in class. The tests are not hard if u study for them. If u study a little bit for them, u will get a B at least.

Great teacher. He is quite energetic almost crazy at times. But he's fun and his the only econ professor that made me laugh. Gives energy to the subject.

He loves econ and is always excited even at 9 in the morning tries to crack jokes and make class fun had it not been for how early this class was I think I would of relly enjoyed it, tests are fair, good class take it

Very good teacher drops your worst of the 2 midterms and midterms are fairly easy. Make sure you do good on the first one. Second one is harder. Makes Econ fun and interesting

AWESOME TEACHER! He is extremely passionate and experienced with the subject. Everything is explained clearly with several examples. He answers all questions completely and problem sets really address topics discussed in lecture. The book is awesome too. BUT!midterm= 40%, final= 60% of your grade.

Great professor. Clear examples and endless energy. Can be quite kookie at times.... especially with his daily snapple. But overall a great class

awesome class. keeps me interested and presents the material coherently.

Go to class, get an A. Helms is a great lecturer.

Great lecturer. He makes econ fun, but his class is hard. Tests are hard. Watch out for his wording! Tricky wording! 40% midterm and 60% final. Good teacher, but difficult class.

Great teacher. very animated and loves to teach. If you go to class, you should have no problem with this class. if you don't go to class, do all the practice tests in the workbook and online plus read the book.

Professor Helms is a very good professor,but his exams are somewhat difficult.The first exam is easy,but the following exams get progressive harder.You get to drop a midterm though,so that helps,but the final is cumulative...so watch out! Overall, a knowledgeable professor.

There isn't any homework due - just the optional problem sets which I recommend you do. Second midterm and the final are challenging but doable. Grading is fair and he sometimes makes class fun with jokes but don't talk in his class - he'll walk up the stairs and stare at you.

very good teacher but a difficult class...

Great guy! Funny uses humor and real world situations to teach material. Open to and answers all questions. Clear but some topics a little shaky b/c hard topic to explain. Overall good job. Tests are difficult but not unlike lecture material. Practice tests useful. Concepts hard to grasp=not easy class.

hes an ****..he thinks hes so sarcastic..hes so stupid...and he is hardly there to help people during his office hours..it seems like he wants to shoo you away...hw dont reflect on hw..hw is bs..to study for test..do the practice & go over his notes..it's a pretty fair class..hes just an ass

I loved this teacher!! He's so enthusiastic about the class, uses colored chalk, runs up and down the stairs... great, fun guy. He uses plenty of models to explain everything to you, which is great if you're a visual learner like myself. His tests are very fair, basically asks you to draw models and such. TAKE HELMS IF YOU WANT A GOOD TEACHER!!!!!!

He's a great teacher, funny, funny, and funny. his class is not so hard if you read the book and take notes in class. his lectures are pretty interesting sometimes. He makes up great stories =)

Take the class from this guy. He makes lectures somewhat bearable and he can be funny. Make sure you read the book and do the homework and you will be fine. Also, make sure you buy the booklet of practice exams that he offers at the beginning of the quarter. This is very useful in studying for the exams.

Professor Helms makes econmics very interesting. He is funny and is a good lecturer. His tests are pretty average if you study and go to discussion. He is higly recomended. Tkae him if you can.

The reviewer below is completely off base, and either did not take good notes in class or did not read the textbook. It's simple. Go to class, learn the lecture notes, you can get an A. Period. That's exactly what I did (lecture notes, no textbook) and I did well.

He is a pretty easy teacher. He is a very nice guy that is willing to help you when you need it. His lectures are as fun as an economics lecture can be. Homework is cake, and the tests are easy if you attend class and do homework. Gives great examples in class.

I was very disappointed with this class because I rocked every single homework assignment and they really didn't seem to prepare me for the exams. A couple of the questions were vague and a lot of the multiple choice questions were worded weird. ehh, it was ok, better than most econ profs.

Just do your reading and attend lectures AND discussion and this class should be a piece of cake. 2nd easiest class I've taken here. I highly recommend it if you want an enthusiastic, excellent teacher!

Great teacher, brings the material to life in often funny ways. Tests are a little on the harder side, but nothing 'out of the blue', study the notes and you can basically ignore the book (as I did, and I got an A). Pay attention to what he spends the most time talking about. Overall great for an econ teacher, and enthusiastic too!

He's really outgoing and weird, but that made the class fun. The material was really easy and so were the midterms. The final was a bit more difficult but it's cool since the online hw was so easy. Discussion is not needed.

Prof Helms gives really interesting lectures and comes up with really funny examples. Not hard but you do need to put in some effort (just make sure your better then most because grades are curved)

Great professor, humorous, enthusiastic, nice, and helpful. if you need to take an econ class, I highly recommend you take his; it's worth waiting a quarter for if the class is full.

Helms is a great prof! He is so funny and tries to make exapmles interesting and funny too. He will answer any questions and make sure everyone understands. I did not even buy the book and i got an A in the class. His lectures are great!!

Great Professor! Just pay attention in class, that's all you need to do to get a good grade. Homework is easy and his grading style is great. Definitely recommended!

One of the best professors I have had this year. He is extremely animated, and his subtle sense of humor makes the class fun. Overall, if you simply read the easy text and attend lecture, your going to get a decent grade. Strongly recommend buying his manual that contains tests from previous quarters. Only downside is a 95 is needed to get a flat A

Get the old practice exams that he sells. Although not required, they contain some questions that he reuses/same style of questions. Homeworks are annoying, reading is helpful, lectures are helpful, class overall is easy. Easy A for me this quarter. He also drops the lowest midterm grade.

I only attended a total of three of his classes this quarter: midterm 1, midterm 2, and the final. Most useful tool for tests is to follow examples from the practice exams (Navin's Copy shop); that's pretty much all you need. All that being said, great class for the amount of effort I put in; was still able to pull off a solid B. If you go to class its an easy A.

Get the copy of all the old tests from the Copy Shop. He recycles his test questions and his lecture are helpful. RECOMMENDED!

This professor is amazing!! He really tries to make everything clear and is really open. This class was interesting and funny. As long as you do your homework and read the book and/or go to class, you'll do fine. D. Helms got massive applause on the last day of class.

Helms was a great professor--he was funny and he taught extremely well! He posts his old tests online for practice. Weekly homework, but it's not bad. I HIGHLY recommend Helms, one of the best professors I've had so far. A really great, clear teacher.

Prof. Helms' voice can carry for miles. He is a great lecturer. Some of his examples aren't that good, but for the most part they are suitable. HW is ok, and MT's are decent, but the final is bucoo hard-even though he does recycle some of his test questions. His final questions are really ambiguous. Take good notes, and the HW will be easy.

He is a great professor overall. The lectures are very helpful. You take two midterms, and the lowest one doesn't get counted towards your final grade. The finals is difficult (50% of total grade). Homework is done online and is not difficult. Just study well for midterms and the final.

Helms is a great lecturer, sometimes he can be a bit confusing, but not normally. He's really interesting and funny and is really open after class and during office hours. I'd definitely take this class again.

VERY enthusiastic about class material. Teaches it in an understandable and clear way. Hard to fall asleep in this class!

Helms is a fun and funny lecturer. He tries to integrate the ideas he teaches to our world. Sometimes he brings props to class. The homeworks are easy and you can do quite a lot of reviews by doing the homework. However, his tests are worded quite weird.

Helms is an amazing lecturer; very clear, entertaining, and I walked out of every lecture with an understanding of the material. He answered every question in lecture in full detail and even used in-class questions as a lead-in to the next topic. He has an enormous amount of energy- somehow he managed to make Chem 194 feel like a small classroom.

the exams were okay, the hw online were a hassle since sometimes its due one day and its due another. sometimes its due twice a week. surprisingly i thought the tests were easy but i got Fs on both of the exams and ended up with a C in the class. NO idea what happened there. i went to office hours and he was not helpful at all.

Nice professor but expects respect; don't try reading, talking, or iPoding in his class, he'll stop the class to single you out. The tests are not easy but they are fair, and sometimes you have to explain your answers. The textbook is good, lectures are clear, and there are lots of problems to work through. The homework is online and very helpful.

i took this class last spring. the first mt was ok, but the next 2nd mt and final were extremely hard, they didnt really relate to what lectures were about. the hw was a hassle and didnt help you to do well on the exams. wouldnt recommend unless you can do really well learning econ on your own

He's a great teacher. Sort of funny, not very consistent with the funny part but when he is you can always garentee a chuckle. His tests and exams are straight forwardand the online homework actually helps alot.

Helms is a good professor. He explains concepts well and he is organized. He is also very enthusiastic about economics. However, his tests are hard and tricky, but the textbook and homework are very helpful. Overall, there was a decent curve in the class. About 20% got A's.

Good professor, explains concepts really well, tells jokes. His exams are ok if you studied. Overall a pretty easy class, but not one you can slack off on homework/studying and expect to do well.

Probably the best economics professor I've had at Davis. Extremely energetic about the subject and makes you want to go to class. He doesn't post lecture slides, so you HAVE to go to class and take notes. His tests are moderate, but if you do the problem sets and practice tests you should be fine. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! has a very high weighting list

WATCH OUT FOR HIS TESTS. He phrases questions in a way that will fool you, even if you're completely familiar with the concepts you're tested on.

Not a terrible teacher. I'm not too into Econ, so it was difficult at times. He has good lectures, just try not to take them in the morning. Uses a lot of metaphors, tests can be very difficult.

Those who gave him low ratings are probably trying to blame him for their low grades they got from skipping lectures. very unfair. His lectures are clear and helpful, and if you go over the practice exams, it should be fine. You WILL fall behind if you skip lectures. I liked him.

Good professor, but he uses too many examples to explain simple stuff. His tests are extremely hard and I had studied for about a week and was still unprepared in the end. Worth going to for lectures (he acts like a martian, or goes off on crazy stories) but the tests (at least MC) feel like tricks. Still there are lots of opportunities to get help

I took this class to see if I still want to be an econ major. It didn't spark an interest in econ for me. Helms explains things clearly most of the time. Studying the old tests he posts up helps A LOT (some questions are recycled). Online hw on Aplia is due every week. Class can be boring at ties. There is a curve, which is good.

Best prof i have had yet

Very pleasant and passionate teacher. I really enjoyed his class! He follows the same outline as the book, so if you miss a class, you just have to go over the chapter he did in class.

His first 2 midterms are pretty easy so try to get 100% on them. As for the final. He makes it super hard! Way harder than the midterms so it totally catches people off guard. Don't underestimate the final just because you did well on the midterms. Weekly homework on aplia site. Sometimes challenging so work with others. But helps you learn a lot.