2.6

Paul Nguyen

Computer Engineering - San Jose State University

2.6
Quality
4.2
Difficulty
37%
Would Retake
155
Reviews
2.6
Quality
4.2
Difficulty
2.6
Helpful
2.5
Clarity

37%

Would Retake

155

Reviews

Rating Distribution
Official

5

40

4

14

3

14

2

22

1

65

What Students Say

Paul if you are reading this

CMPE202 - 1.0 rating

I would like to give him 0 if I can

CMPE202 - 1.0 rating
Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

45%

Textbook Required

42%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B+

95% confidence
Based on 55 grades
Most common grades:
A (22)
Not sure yet (12)
A- (9)
Grade Distribution
A(25)B(7)C(7)D(1)F(1)A-/B+(15)
Based on 72 reported grades
A: 22
Not sure yet: 12
A-: 9
B+: 6
Common Tags
Tough grader (26)
Tough Grader (25)
Lots of homework (21)
LOTS OF HOMEWORK (17)
EXTRA CREDIT (14)
TEST HEAVY (11)
Clear grading criteria (10)
Get ready to read (10)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.41 avg change
Dec
Jan
Feb
May
Feb
Oct
Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

202

5.0

(1)

CMP142

5.0

(1)

CLOUDTECH

4.0

(1)

CMPE281

3.3

(26)

CMPE202

2.5

(96)
+6 more courses
Difficulty by Course

281

5.0

ACCTA

5.0

CMPE172

4.9

CMPE142

4.3

CMPE202

4.2

Reviews (155)
5.0
4.0
CMPE142
Jul 3, 2007

No Comments

2.0
4.0
CMPE140
Nov 16, 2007

Energetic and good-intentioned, however he is too caught up in trying to be cool with students and ends up being ineffective as a teacher. Exams are based solely on memorization and regurgitation which doesn't teach you anything. Also, there are typically 4 or 5 assignments to memorize along with no less than 900 slides from presentations.

2.0
4.0
CMPE142
Dec 17, 2007

Class is called Operating System Design, except with Paul teaching, you don't design OSes. He claims interrupts are old-fashioned and "naive" and has NO hardware knowledge. In short, he took a potentially fascinating and useful class and turned it into a boring travesty. Firing him would definitely be a service to this university.

2.0
4.0
CMPE142
Dec 18, 2007

Terrible. Simply one of the worst and least dedicated "instructors" I have ever had. Office hours are nearly non-existent and he rarely can explain his own course material. Furthermore, he focuses on Java - a language that is NOT a prereq. for this course. Oh, and he claims freezing milk and "Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Monster" are parts of OSes.

1.0
5.0
CMPE142
Dec 21, 2007

This Professor is not good but is not bad either. His teaching style is different. I have never seen such a cold professor towards students' problems.His slides are all copied from UCB OS class, that means no brain and time devoted towards teaching the course. He has no time to check the papers. His questions are most difficult in this world.

2.0
5.0
CMPE142
May 22, 2008

Horrible Professor he give lot of Quizes , Asignement and 300 Marks Midterm and Final.

2.0
5.0
CMPE142
May 30, 2008

Everything else is okay except his grading. His midterm and finals are worth 300 points. Very stingy in giving marks. His exam questions are taken from Berkeley, Stanford and MIT. So be prepared for that!

1.0
5.0
CMPE142
Feb 11, 2009

The worst professor I have ever seen !! He ruins student's career. He should change his grading system. Please do not take any of his class.

5.0
1.0
CMP142
Mar 12, 2009

Great Teacher. He will give lot of real life examples which are easy to understand. Really interesting way of teaching. Very hardworking professor.

5.0
2.0
CMPE142
May 11, 2011

makes you think logically

2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Dec 14, 2011

Tough course work.very very bad grading.Strange useless rules & he will deduct marks if we dont follow rules.But he gives very good subject information but students rarely follow him.

1.0
5.0
ACCTA
Dec 31, 2011

He does not know how to grade the students. he changes his course work often and usually he does not remember what he says in his prvious class. i advise all the readers not to take any of his class as he plays with the grades of the students.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Dec 31, 2011

Course is easy but he makes it difficult. his grade depends only on the final exam. and he is not at all fair at grading. Either he should learn how to do grading or he should quit this responsibility. he is spoiling the carrers of students.

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 1, 2012

He tries to cover many things together,gives so much work load to students.He keeps changing the course structure in the middle of the semester. He doesn't know how to grade students.Worst grading I have ever seen.The students will stay confused till the end of the semester as the course structure keeps changing.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 1, 2012

Worst professor.will not give you good grades. Change his course schedule in every class.do not take his class,either w8 till some other professor takes this course or take it from lee Chang..no one could rate him good teacher, I think he might have rated himself in some of the comments.

3.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 3, 2012

Could have use better grading method. Final exam was tough and lengthy and that affected everyone's grades due to flat grading. Also Design Patterns were not taught well but the whole midterm project was based on it. The course structure changed in every class and he confused everyone and was confused himself!

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 4, 2012

Let me put this straight... I have no idea why this guy is even teaching. He kept changing his schedule in the middle of semester, final was horribly lengthy and tricky, no curve, midterm and projects were on topics that he barely even cover. He wasted majority of class time going over some random topics that wasnt he didnt even test on.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 13, 2012

His class is a waste of time. Does not know how to teach. Not good at grading. No time to review the final projects..grade depends on midterm and final.

5.0
2.0
CMPE202
Jan 18, 2012

He failed a lot of people for Fall 2012. Overall a easy class. He gave decent scores who did okay on everything. Grade depends on midterm & final because the rest are easy. I've got A's on everything, but the final, which I failed horribly. Got a B in class. Tip: Know your Diagrams, Design Patterns & Midterm. Don't bother learning the tools much.

2.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 19, 2012

I attended this profs class during fall'11. He is not consistent and covers lot of unwanted OS stuff from his other classes. Overall the material is very easy, but he makes it look so hard. Gives lot of extra stuff. His grading are not fair. Even though I got an A- in this class, I lost the interst in the subject after the class.

2.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 27, 2012

Very ambitious prof.Expects too much from students.Gives ridiculous to tough projects at any time in the sem.Never keeps to green sheet schedule.Changes deliverables every week.Changes grading rules after submission.Classes are interesting enuf.Tough projects are good too.Gives decent grades but Overall students feel pressured & under appreciated.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 30, 2012

worst professor I had ever seen, don't take 202 under him. He keeps on changing his course material every week. Worst grading system. You won'yt learn anything from his class. It is waste of time and money. better opt for Lee Chang or weight for Dr. Fyad to come back.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Feb 10, 2012

Paul is a nice guy overall. If you tell him that you are overloaded, he is kind enough to educe course load. But he doesn't teach anything useful. He keeps talking about himself n his research proj. He doesn't grade fair. he is partial to some people in the class. For research he gave equal marks to ppl who did well and who screwed up exams r hard!

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
May 1, 2012

I don't understand what he tries to teach in class. ridiculous projects, and un-necessary workload. Changes coursework, grading rules for homework, assignment without any prior notice. Partial in grading. I hope CMPE department assigns a new professor.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 18, 2012

Dont take his class if u want 2 be on d safe side..Its very difficult...He will make the class difficult..WORST GRADING..Lee Chang is far better.

3.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 18, 2012

Do not take his class. You will get screwed up, specially the finals.

2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jun 8, 2012

I believe professor has knowledge of the subject. But he is not focused. Gives lot of unwanted stuff as assignments and makes the class very tough. Do not take 202 under him if you have a choice

4.0
2.0
CMPE202
Jun 10, 2012

We used Scrum practically. Which was very useful. The other project which we had makes you work on the design patterns in practice, which helps you remember them. But his lectures are not focused. And he sometimes gives unnecessary workload. I worked hard and got an A.

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jun 14, 2012

You get to use bleeding edge technology at the expense of very high workload. I took too much interest in this class so my grades in other classes for that semester went down!

1.0
2.0
CMPE281
Oct 31, 2012

This instructor changed a lot during this semester, including the homework, lab, exams. He probably had no idea what he was doing. Be extra careful to apply his course. You might simply waste your time and money.

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 21, 2013

Highly recommended for CMPE 202. Focuses on Design patterns, UML and Scrum. Need to work hard for the midterm and finals but the course is worth it. Use Head First Design Patterns to get an A.

3.0
3.0
CMPE281
Jan 21, 2013

The course is not that satisfactory. Some of it was really good, Azure or Salesforce but some of it was waste. He makes you write a notebook and checks it in the end. Avoid unless mandatory. Easier to get grades.

5.0
1.0
CMPE202
Jun 13, 2013

One of the best professors at SJSU. Is very sincere and passionate about the subject. Assignments and Projects are based on real world problems. Is very cool and understanding. Studying from his slides is enough to get a good grade.

5.0
1.0
CMPE202
Sep 13, 2013

he is one of the best professors. he makes his classes interesting and easy to understand. the labs assignments n projects are very helpful. he gives good grades :)

5.0
1.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jan 23, 2014

Best Professor, he want students to understand the concepts rather than mugging up things. He teaches OOPS, Design Patterns, Agile Methodology etc. Mostly gives full marks in Labs & Project, but his mid term & final are tough.

5.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not_Sure_Yet
May 18, 2014

Excellent Professor. Concentrates on student weather he/she learnt or not. If you can convey him that you learnt, you will get very good grades. Explains very good also. Enjoy his classes with games also.

1.0
5.0
281
Grade: C+
Sep 30, 2014

Avoid his class,not good with grades and also teaching

3.0
4.0
CMPE281
Nov 9, 2014

Wouldnt Recommend him. Doesnt teach as good as I heard about him. Tests are very difficult. Seems like the course is useless.

3.0
5.0
CMPE202
Nov 14, 2014

Too many assignments. Heavy and tough mid terms.

2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Nov 21, 2014

There were useful things like scrum and design patterns, but there was over emphasis on these things. His mid terms are tough. Tough to get good grades. Your GPA might go down. Not recommended.

1.0
5.0
CMPE281
Dec 13, 2014

Good professor but hard to understand and follow the thing he want to teach.

1.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: B+
Dec 13, 2014

Not a man of his words .Will say that syllabus for exams is ABC and will ask PQR .Gives anything in final exams and not managed on his exams ,assignments. Don't take his class you wont learn anything and wont pass

1.0
5.0
281
Grade: A-
Dec 25, 2014

plz dont take this class learn nothing and get nothing out of it.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Dec 28, 2014

Take this class only if you want to screw up your life. Worst teacher, tough grader, bad grading criteria. I had no choice so i had to take up a class under this professor.

1.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: B
Dec 30, 2014

The professor makes his mid tests and finals very tough. This causes grades to go down. Course content was very difficult.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 13, 2015

Never take under him, he is capable or ruining ur degree by grading u horribly, midterms and final exams are extremely tough and makes u feel hopeless. Dont fall for the extra credits option he lures u in the beginning of the course.

4.0
2.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jan 22, 2015

An awesome professor. His lectures and slides are very informative. Understanding of subject can get you good grades. Quite unpredictable when it comes to exams, You need to think out of the box.

4.0
2.0
CLOUDTECH
Grade: A
Feb 5, 2015

Awesome Professor and a great person

3.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 30, 2015

The course seemed to be pretty easy in the beginning. Never go for the extra credit which he offers initially. Even if you have the extra credit, your grade will never be good. Try to avoid his class if possible.

5.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jun 3, 2015

Only good option for 202. Need to have coding experience before taking this class. Expect homework for every week. Teaches Agile, Scrum, Design patterns and UML. Be ready to think form multiple angles for exams, quizzes and assignments. Try to form as big team as possible for project. It will be helpful during group competitions.

5.0
1.0
202
Grade: A
Aug 19, 2015

The way he teaches is quite fascinating. If you love coding and want to learn design patterns and usage of UML diagrams in a real sense, then do take this course under him. Needs to pay attention in his class as he will give you clues to solve assignments. He also teaches agile methodology in his own way. Do listen to him carefully before exams.

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Oct 9, 2015

Okay, I consider myself an average student but if you work hard in his class (Attend lectures, do your homework, study regularly) you are not only going to get a good grade (I got A) but also learn so so many important things that would rock your future interviews (All my interviews I just paraphrased his ideas and his talks). The best prof in SJSU

2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: B+
Nov 5, 2015

Overhyped professor. Take his class if you wanna screw your grades. Mid terms and finals are very tough.

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Dec 17, 2015

His Concepts are Not Clear . Entire semester taught nothing and even confused about his own test cases in personal project assigned to students.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Dec 17, 2015

Never enroll in 202 for professor paul, he is very confusing, don't go before extra grades because even after extra grades, you will never able to get the overall good grade in his class, Mid terms and Finals are very tough.

2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jan 3, 2016

Very tough Midterm and Final exams. Please choose the other alternatives. You will endup spoiling your grade. Dont fall for the extra credit.

4.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: A-
Jan 5, 2016

Best professor in terms of fair grading. Gives you a chance to earn extra credits( 40, make them count). Be ready for in class quizzes, games and Amazing race. Study from day one to keep up with him. Never loose any opportunity to score a single point in his course as every point counts for the grades. All the best !

3.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: B-
Jan 15, 2016

Interesting professor if you want to learn object oriented programming with a focus on building games.

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jan 19, 2016

An overhyped professor. Has good course content but doesnt teach anything , Not helpful, tries to just complete the classes, Wrong requirements given in project, really tough exams, But if u wish to learn something as per the industry standards then he is the only prof available for this course out here, Work hard from Day1 to save grades

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
May 18, 2016

Great course. Best way to Learn Design Patterns. Attending class and paying attention will help immensely. Fair grading.

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jun 2, 2016
Would take again

Perhaps, the best professor at SJSU. A lot to learn in his CMPE202 class about design patterns. Encourages to learn from the history.

4.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jun 3, 2016
Would take again

One of the most hard working professors I've seen at SJSU. His course work is very good. His style of teaching is excellent. The Design Patterns topic is one of the most important & interesting topics in his course & the way he designed his course is just great. Must take this course if you are a Software Engineering Graduate student at SJSU.

5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A-
Jun 6, 2016
Would take again

He is the best profesor in SJSU for Cloud computing. Makes sure that we have hands-on on AWS right from week 1. Gives labs in the form of assignments that makes us learn concepts much clearly. Made us design an AP and CP database over AWS in the personal project(too much learning) . The group project was fun and we learnt nodejs, NoSQL DBs, Heroku.

4.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A+
Aug 3, 2016
Would take again

Awesome professor! Teaches very well, and one should be very attentive or else you will miss a lot. Attend all the classes as there is always a lab at the end of the class, which he might give it as a takeaway lab after letting you know what you have to do. Teaches AWS, personal project was based on JAVA, final project was based on nodejs.

2.0
3.0
CMPE202
Nov 11, 2016
Wouldn't take again

1. Unclear instructions on the labs and homework. . 2. Bad control of the class schedule. 3. Too many unnecessary and meaningless hw. 4. A lot of pop quizes. 5. He's the only Pro who is teaching this mandatory class. Still he tries to teach some good things but failed this task. Needs better schedule and change of the content.

Tough Grader
Participation matters
TEST HEAVY
4.0
4.0
CMPE202
Dec 18, 2016
Would take again

1. Expect a quiz pretty much every week. 2. He is pretty tough on grading, but gives lots of extra credit. 3. Talks a tough talk on not cheating, and can seem a bit cold, but if you go to office hours, he's really nice. 4. The material he teaches is actually relevant to industry. Pay attention!

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Jan 26, 2017
Would take again

Quizzes every week. You have to be regular in your studies if you desire a good grade, he is very approachable in his office hours, teaches OOPS, Design patterns and Agile, has tough exams.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE CLASS
5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Mar 22, 2017
Would take again

Good Professor. Excellent content that he teaches in his class

Respected
Clear grading criteria
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
May 21, 2017
Would take again

He is awesome. professor, his classes are quite interesting and he invests lot of effort in teaching methods. You will find quizzes, jeopardy games, apt real world scenarios. His assignments are quite helpful.

Gives good feedback
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
Clear grading criteria
4.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
May 23, 2017
Would take again

It was tough in the beginning , too much homework and had I not taken other light subjects, it would have been difficult to manage. But in the end, it became quite easy and because of him, I learnt a lot.

LOTS OF HOMEWORK
ACCESSIBLE OUTSIDE CLASS
Clear grading criteria
3.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: A-
Jul 28, 2017
Wouldn't take again

Course content is good, especially Design Patterns. Not a difficult subject, however, professor gives so many assignments, labs and projects that eats up most of your time.

Tough Grader
Participation matters
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Aug 8, 2017
Would take again

Course content was good. There were too many assignments but they were interesting. You are purely graded based on your knowledge. There are points given for Extra assignments, quizzes, games, etc. So you can grab as much as you can here. Moreover, professor spends enough time and effort in teaching the concepts.

5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A
Nov 16, 2017
Would take again

Amazing class. I am coming back here writing a review after 1.5 years of taking the class. This class really helped me understand what Cloud is and how applications are deployed, understand NoSQL. Looking backwards this class helped me understand system design and brought me 5 offers out of 2 are from Big 4(Amazon,Microsoft,Google,Facebook).

Tough Grader
5.0
3.0
CMPE281
Grade: A+
Jan 20, 2018
Would take again

He goes through quite a bit of hoops to make life super easy for students if you follow his instructions diligently. Assignments can be done in under 2 hours - which is more than a reasonable amount of time to spend per week. He also appreciates extra effort with extra credit. Take the class, it's totally worth it!

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
EXTRA CREDIT
4.0
4.0
CMPE281
Feb 2, 2018
Wouldn't take again

He is one of the best professors of CMPE. He works very hard in preparing class materials and being fair in exams. He is also helpful if you have difficulties. He is a great professor and a great person.

Participation matters
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
Feb 3, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Class is a waste of time. You will not learn anything from this. SJUS is all about money, and not about education. Professor does not take this class serious, and does not teach anything.

LOTS OF HOMEWORK
Hilarious
LECTURE HEAVY
2.0
4.0
CMPE281
Feb 10, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Labs and assignments are good. Helps a lot to understand cloud concepts and AWS. Lectures, Quizzes and multiple choice questions in exams are very theoretical. You need to just learn the slides for MCQs. They are not conceptual. Exam lab questions are hard and ambiguous.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
1.0
CMPE202
Grade: A+
Feb 19, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I attended his class where he was experimenting. If you are good at communication, you score an A. He openly accepts he doesnt have an expert understanding of the subject & always quote we are here to learn. I have seen him giving extra points to students he liked and giving a C / D for the students he hate. He is totally discriminating person.

Participation matters
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
4.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Mar 6, 2018
Would take again

Need to work really really really hard to pass in this subject.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
TEST HEAVY
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Mar 8, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Hard professor. Wouldn't be problem if he gave homework. Class had no homework so I didn't know how to absorb the information for exams. Terrible.

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
Mar 31, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Overhyped professor in SJSU. No need to take his class, he makes all his test unnecessarily tough. Just take one online course on design patterns.

Tough Grader
TEST HEAVY
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
Mar 31, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Course content is not useful to get internships. But you have to invest a lot of time to clear this class. He makes test really heavy, he likes to see his students struggling for grades. Please bypass this professor and go to the different section. Especially international students must bypass this professor.

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
TEST HEAVY
2.0
5.0
CMPE202
Apr 13, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Paul works full time in SF over the weekdays and teaches 281 and 202 on Saturday. 202 starts at 12PM but students in 281 wait in line and speak to him till 12:30PM. So 202 doesn't really start until 12:30PM. Paul also never has time to answer questions due to his busy work life. That is why I dislike Paul.

1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Apr 21, 2018
Wouldn't take again

All international students joining SJSU, avoid this professor. Concentrate on courses which help u get a real job. Please avoid this professor and save your time and money.

Tough Grader
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 3, 2018
Wouldn't take again

He is probably the worst teacher I have had till date. I am not exaggerating, you should not take his course. Grades are based on "group activities". So, groups who had more talented people got an A. My group had a mixture, so we all got bad grades, which sucks because my cumulative grade reduced, even though I had good grades in other courses.

Tough Grader
Participation matters
Skip class? You won't pass.
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 7, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I just don't understand Paul's deal. He is the toughest grader and what he inputs into the class and course work does not justify it. As an example, he once gave a quiz on a topic that he only cared half of and other other half he said we don't need to know. He doesn't cure; only 10% extra credit. I really don't know what his problem is.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 8, 2018
Wouldn't take again

AVOID! I would like to give him 0 if I can. This guy turns a department core course into his own playground, which is extremely unfair and irresponsible for students.

Tough Grader
TEST HEAVY
EXTRA CREDIT
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 12, 2018
Wouldn't take again

avoid and save your life

Tough Grader
TEST HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 12, 2018
Wouldn't take again

His grading is unclear, the materials are inconsistent, and exams are rather too much writing than hard. This semester he uses students' codes to train a machine learning model for his personal interests, which eventually became a disaster. Just avoid.

Tough Grader
Skip class? You won't pass.
TEST HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 13, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Don't enroll in his class. You will regret it.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
May 15, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Gandu hain saala!!! Itni aaj tak kisi ne nhin lee !!!Bhagwaan bacha le isse....

Tough Grader
TEST HEAVY
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 20, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Paul if you are reading this. I found the final to be unfair. We had only two hours to do a very hard final. Yet the entire time students and you yourself was loud and talked alot, which made it even harder for people like me to concentrate and do the finals.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: C
May 29, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Bogus Professor. Even after studying hard for the subject, you wont pass. Most Ridiculous person.

Tough Grader
TEST HEAVY
LECTURE HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 29, 2018
Wouldn't take again

With this subject under Paul, I ruined my life. Sorry. Paul ruined it. People do say not so good teaching comments about professor Fayad but trust me, he will let you live your life, get some marks, start internship. At least you wont fail. In Paul, you will lost everything. Money, Time and your brain too. Ohh yes, Internhip and maybe Job too.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
TEST HEAVY
3.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 31, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I received a good grade in his class but it wasn't easy. Paul makes you work super hard for it. His midterm and final were super hard and I put in tons of hours. The class felt like it was 2.5 classes at times. Tons of memorization and conceptional understand of patterns. I am bit mad because I wasn't able to ace my other classes because of Paul.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Jun 2, 2018
Wouldn't take again

He set up mid sem such that you wont score above 25 (out of 75),Does this on purpose so you have to work your ass off to get extra credits (you won't pass without them),Won't even give all extra credits so that you have mental trauma till your final grades arrive (even after you complete finals),Lied abt easy finals, failed people,lost internships

3.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: F
Jun 5, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I would never recommend him to any student. He expects way too much from students. All his assignments, projects and exams require you to work like hell. You won't be able to do any of your other coursework and still won't be sure to at least clear this course. Exams contain 50 multiple choice questions to do within 30 minutes.

Tough Grader
Participation matters
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Jun 11, 2018
Would take again

Paul is one of the best and toughest professor at SJSU. He beats everyone because he truly want his students to go great things in Silicon Valley. I learned so much just from he. He is a gem at SJSU.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Aug 2, 2018
Wouldn't take again

The professor has made a complete mess of this course. Invest your time in things which are really important. The professor has increased the difficulty of this course to an unachievable level. Even if you manage to pass you will surely fail to achieve good knowledge from other subjects and finally end up with nothing. AVOID HIM..!!

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
TEST HEAVY
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Aug 21, 2018
Wouldn't take again

I got a C in his class. Lost my internship for the summer.

4.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A
Aug 22, 2018
Would take again

One of the best professors, you will learn a LOT from this course 281. Enjoyed working on every assignment!

Tough Grader
Respected
Inspirational
1.0
3.0
CMPE202
Nov 21, 2018
Wouldn't take again

The worst teacher I've been met here.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
5.0
5.0
CMPE281
Nov 24, 2018
Would take again

Very good course. Worked hard and learned alot. Thank you Paul for what you put into teach us.

1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Nov 30, 2018
Wouldn't take again

Not recommended

Tough Grader
Participation matters
Skip class? You won't pass.
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Dec 16, 2018
Would take again

I have to say Professor Nguyen is one of the best professors I have ever met. He stands and teaches from 9am to 3pm every Saturday and always keeps great passion of informing us the content of his lecture in a very easily understandable way. Though you must work very hard, you can really learn from him if you also treat this class seriously.

Gives good feedback
Respected
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Dec 18, 2018
Would take again

Awesome professor. Passionate about teaching. One of the best in SJSU. Definitely worth taking you will learn a lot :-)

Inspirational
Clear grading criteria
Amazing lectures
5.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: B+
Jan 28, 2019
Would take again

If you are good with problem-solving and have a strong Java background, This class will not be that difficult. He is one of the best teachers in SJSU. Advice: Before going to his class read through design patterns that are going to be covered in class on youtube. Most importantly code early and often for your personal and team projects.

Gives good feedback
Get ready to read
BEWARE OF POP QUIZZES
4.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: A-
Jan 29, 2019
Would take again

He is an awesome professor, knows his things. he can deviate from the topic once in a while in class. I think his rating is bad on ratemyprof because, he did not pass a few students who copied in his course.

Tough Grader
LOTS OF HOMEWORK
GROUP PROJECTS
5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Feb 22, 2019
Would take again

Highly recommended

Clear grading criteria
Amazing lectures
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Feb 22, 2019
Would take again

You'll learn by doing his assignments and projects

Clear grading criteria
Lecture heavy
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Apr 20, 2019
Would take again

knowledgeable

Respected
Lots of homework
Accessible outside class
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Apr 20, 2019
Wouldn't take again

A LOT OF homework. Test super hard. You won't have time to finish midterm unless you already MASTER ALL MATERIALS. Even you try super hard, if you do not meet his expectation, you won't pass. Take this professor if you do not want to have any social life at all.

Lots of homework
Test heavy
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
May 19, 2019
Wouldn't take again

Do not take this class. It is not worth it. Poorly designed class

Lots of homework
EXTRA CREDIT
Tough grader
4.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: B-
May 22, 2019
Would take again

Knowledgable and Relevant. P Nguyen knows cloud computing. Class is challenging and moves at a very fast pace. Labs are well-designed. If you want to be prepared for real-world, take this class and work hard. Only criticism the Lockdown browser tests. He is trading a quality test for security and is the wrong tradeoff, IMO.

Lots of homework
Group projects
Tough grader
5.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: B
Jun 7, 2019
Would take again

Very knowledgeable professor. This course is highly recommended. Mid-term and final exams are challenging, so you need to prepare well. Weekly labs provide good hands-on experience on the technologies. Grading is very clear. You always know how much marks you need to secure a particular grade, but you need to work very hard for getting it.

Lots of homework
Get ready to read
Test heavy
1.0
3.0
CMPE281
Grade: A-
Jul 19, 2019
Wouldn't take again

It does not make sense to take his class. What he asks in the paper is completely useless. Moreover, the paper is so ridiculously stupid and long that till the end of the course you are worried whether you are gonna pass

Test heavy
Hilarious
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Jul 25, 2019
Wouldn't take again

There is a BIG difference between being knowledgeable and being a good teacher. Paul is knowledgeable,yes, but definitely NOT a good teacher. You will need to study everything on your own. You dont need his class for that! Buy "Head first Design Pattern" book instead. It has better value for money and teaches you the concepts much better than Paul

Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
Tough grader
5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A
Sep 14, 2019
Would take again

His course is heavy, but his assignments and projects makes you understand the concepts. Good class. Great learning!

5.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: B
Dec 12, 2019
Would take again

What we learn in this course are REAL ideas that we need to apply to our work if we want anyone to take us seriously. Don't be satisfied with code that "works." Learn how to code BETTER. Take this class, work hard, suffer a bit, and learn a LOT.

Respected
Inspirational
Tough grader
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: C-
Dec 30, 2019
Wouldn't take again

I worked really hard and still failed. People say work hard and you will pass but that's not entirely true. If you screw up the mid-term or final you will be on the verge of failure. Mid-term is ridiculously difficult, just do yourself a favor and take the other section. If want to be under pressure the entire semester take this one.

Lots of homework
Tough grader
3.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: C+
Jan 31, 2020
Wouldn't take again

The professor teaches very well and has a great curriculum , But the problem is with his grading style. 70% depends on quizzes, mid sem and end sem. The questions are tough, the average of the class is also below B- He needs to change his grading style

Test heavy
Lecture heavy
Tough grader
3.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: B+
Feb 3, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Writing a review after graduation and working in tech now. The class was very hard and things were so fast. I think the best way to summarize his teach style is he points you in one direction and then you just self-study it.

1.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: Not sure yet
Mar 21, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Lectures are pretty useless. A lot of self-learning is expected. Lab quizzes are time-constrained, the only way to compete is if you are able to get everything right the first time. If you need to debug or troubleshoot you have already failed.

Get ready to read
5.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: C+
Mar 22, 2020
Would take again

Too much knowledge of cloud in very less amount of time under cmpe281. He'll make u work harder and harder, u don't have any other choice. U'll do too many assignments and learn a lot. At some moments, he'll screw you up. This is one of the finest course delivered by one of the good profs. 5 popup quizzes, class activities and 2 toughest exams.

Lots of homework
Inspirational
Amazing lectures
1.0
5.0
CMPE281
Grade: Not sure yet
Mar 22, 2020
Wouldn't take again

have to basically learn on your own, lectures are pretty useless. he expects you to teach yourself and be familiar with technologies that he will introduce.

Get ready to read
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
Apr 22, 2020
Wouldn't take again

He is too difficult and stubborn.

Test heavy
Tough grader
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
Apr 26, 2020
Wouldn't take again

tough grader. very strict. non flexible. more of a headache. I don't think the pressure he gives for this course is really worth it

Graded by few things
Test heavy
Tough grader
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: Not sure yet
May 2, 2020
Wouldn't take again

Professor is good. but too stubborn. And this sometimes gets frustrating. He should be little flexible, at the end of the day, the goal is too learn and not cause frustration or demotivating students.

Tough grader
5.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: B+
May 27, 2020
Would take again

This is one of those classes you should take regardless of what your specialization is. It is the only class at SJSU that I know of where use of cloud services is mandatory ( AWS and GCP ). I did not enjoy the online 281 lectures, but the material covered in the course is still extremely relevant. Take Paul's 281!

Gives good feedback
Respected
Clear grading criteria
1.0
4.0
CMPE281
Grade: A
Mar 4, 2021
Wouldn't take again

to be specific he's the worst prof I have ever seen. Not only he doesn't teach anything he overpressures students on the most useless stuff

Tough grader
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Mar 20, 2021
Wouldn't take again

worst prof ever, doesn't teach well. makes us work with databases and CS157a isn't a prerequisite. Piles a lot of stuff and doesn't explain very well. Its his first time teaching and its a very bad experience.

Tough grader
5.0
3.0
CMPE202
May 9, 2021
Would take again

Prof Paul is a real gem! since this is an MS level course, it definitely will not be a piece of cake. His coursework is the most structured with comparison to any other classes. If you want to gain real knowledge about industrial standards and practical usage of Design patterns, along with few other cool concepts, you MUST opt for him.

Accessible outside class
Get ready to read
Clear grading criteria
5.0
5.0
CMPE172
May 21, 2021
Would take again

His class was super hard for me- lots of assignments where if you aren't reading a lot & paying attention to lectures, it'll feel like you got kicked out of the nest. But I think what he chooses to teach and how he chooses to teach it makes it click in a better way than if he was leading you through every single step. Very hard but very good.

Lots of homework
Get ready to read
Group projects
5.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: A
Dec 25, 2021
Would take again

Buy life insurance before taking him because this class is hazardous to life, you'll think of killing yourself atleast 3 times a week. But he's the best professor in SJSU. If he expects x amount of work from you, behind the scenes he is putting in 2x work into this class. For the rest of your life everytime you go to starbucks, you'll think of him.

Clear grading criteria
Lots of homework
Inspirational
5.0
3.0
CMPE202
Grade: A-
Jan 31, 2022
Would take again

Great professor. If you follow his lectures and instructions, then it would be easy for you. I liked the way he structured the course work.

Skip class? You won't pass.
Clear grading criteria
Amazing lectures
1.0
5.0
CMPE202
Feb 14, 2022
Wouldn't take again

This class should not be core course. He also does not teach properly.

Lots of homework
Skip class? You won't pass.
Tough grader
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: C+
Mar 7, 2022

Professor Nguyen clearly understands the material he teaches, but struggles to communicate it clearly to students. I say struggles, sometimes it's clear that it's stubbornness, and you're expected to figure it out yourself. Homework assignments are not clear, and the professor lacks flexibility in understanding the needs of students.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Incomplete
Apr 17, 2022

This class is a struggle if you're taking a lot of other classes too because he gives a lot, and I mean, a lot, of work. I really dislike this class and it's the hardest one in all my 3 years. I'm honestly so tired at this point. I really do learn a lot with Professor Nguyen, but the amount of anxiety this class brings probably isn't worth it.

Tough grader
Beware of pop quizzes
Test heavy
3.0
5.0
CMPE202
Grade: B
Apr 20, 2022

He grades homework very leniently but is quite stringent on projects and exams. At the end of the day, you learn a lot of things, but you have to be ready to compromise your peace for the whole semester, the course will really give you anxiety. I'd recommend you to take this course at the end of your graduation where the coursework is light.

Tough grader
Get ready to read
Lots of homework
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Not sure yet
May 15, 2022

He is the final boss of the Software Engineering major students. Dark Souls is nothing compared to the level of difficulty of this class. Lots of work: labs every week, pop quizzes and midterm with trick questions, and project! This class WILL feel like 6 units and not 3. Don't take him if you are graduating and taking more than 15 units like me.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Incomplete
May 15, 2022

Be ready to put double the hours of work, should be a 6 unit class. I enjoy the concepts but the labs are very time consuming and the professor isn't very helpful. He usually tells us to look at old recording and pushed almost every lab back another week due to class having so many issues. Also the group final project is now individual.

Tough grader
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
May 17, 2022

* Ready to put in 10x times of work. * Should be 10+ units instead of 3. * Professor not helpful. * M1 chip laptops have many problems with his assigned labs. * Many other problems with class structure and assignments.

Tough grader
Get ready to read
Beware of pop quizzes
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Drop/Withdrawal
May 18, 2022

+50% of class signed letter to the dean 1)Grading is not fully based on the rubric 2)Midterm we were told not to do a lab and that it would not show up on the second part of the exam. It did. 3)Doesn't update his materials and expects us to use old recordings 4)We explained our issues and are told that it is not his problem. Plus more

1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Incomplete
May 22, 2022

No clear guidelines. DOES NOT HELP AT ALL.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Not sure yet
May 23, 2022

Terrible professor, Very unclear about everything, I was giving him the benefit of the doubt at first until near the end of the semester. He makes you do a lot of unnecessary extra work and this class takes up a lot of your time. I regret taking this professor, so don't be like me. Easily one of the worst professors you can take.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
Lecture heavy
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: A-
May 31, 2022

He is clearly very knowledgeable and I have learned more useful information in this class than any other. That being said he gives unmanageable workloads and is not very approachable. His class should be 6 or more units based on how much time I had to spend on it. Of the 54 students in the class, 22 failed.

Tough grader
EXTRA CREDIT
Lots of homework
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: C
Jun 1, 2022

Prof. Nguyen is very experienced, but he is not a good at teaching. The course load of the labs, midterm, final and project are hard to balance with other classes. So many ways for labs to break. Has a project and final which either conflicted with the project deadline or graduation, and I will say my graduation was ruined because of his final.

Tough grader
Lots of homework
Test heavy
1.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: Not sure yet
Dec 20, 2022

Be prepared to spend a LOT of time studying for this class. There's weekly labs + quizzes that are challenging. He teaches night class lectures that are not helpful for the labs & quizzes. He does a demo of the labs but goes through them quick & does not clearly explain his process. Concepts he teaches are useful but is not worth the stress

Get ready to read
Lots of homework
Beware of pop quizzes
2.0
1.0
CS158B
Grade: A
Dec 21, 2022

I respect how Professor tried to help students prepare practically and not memorize for exam. He is helpful and tries his best (maybe little too much) to help students. But I felt the lecture was not properly organized, and I didn't know what was going on in the class most of the time or why same thing was happening in the class most of the time.

Group projects
Graded by few things
2.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: A
Jan 1, 2023

Learned a lot from this class which will def be applicable in industry. However, the dude grades harshly. Last sem, around 40% of the class failed. You NEED to do the extra credit to pass even though it's extra. So much work is assigned and we were all tryna do it on top of our other classes and even more work in the class. I'm sorry if u have him.

Tough grader
EXTRA CREDIT
Lots of homework
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Feb 21, 2023

The course should not be made a mandatory course. You are better off taking this course under the other professor

Tough grader
EXTRA CREDIT
5.0
4.0
CMPE172
Grade: A
May 16, 2023
Would take again

Dedicate most of your time to this class, it will be more rewarding based on effort. Class is difficult, but it will teach way more practical information. The professor is very understanding and was able to resolve most of my concerns during office hours. Underrated professor that needs more appreciation for what he does for this university.

Tough grader
EXTRA CREDIT
Gives good feedback
4.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: A-
May 24, 2023
Would take again

This professor is probably one of the most knowledgeable at SJSU. He is extremely intelligent and very capable. However, his class is extremely difficult and he is not a great communicator, despite the fact that his material is very well maintained. Like others mentioned, he is probably doing about 10x the work that you are behind the scenes.

Tough grader
EXTRA CREDIT
Lots of homework
1.0
4.0
CMPE202
Grade: B+
Feb 18, 2024

Awful professor! Does not care about the students! This course should not be mandatory

Get ready to read
EXTRA CREDIT
Test heavy
3.0
5.0
CMPE172
Grade: B
Oct 31, 2024

The class is extremely challenging, but the professor is knowledgeable. Attend lectures, use the free textbook, and try Unstuckstudy for study prep - it really helped me get through this course.

Class Info

Online Classes

100%

Attendance Mandatory

45%

Textbook Required

42%

Grade Predictor

Your expected effort level

LowHigh

Predicted Grade

B+

95% confidence
Based on 55 grades
Most common grades:
A (22)
Not sure yet (12)
A- (9)
Grade Distribution
A(25)B(7)C(7)D(1)F(1)A-/B+(15)
Based on 72 reported grades
A: 22
Not sure yet: 12
A-: 9
B+: 6
Common Tags
Tough grader (26)
Tough Grader (25)
Lots of homework (21)
LOTS OF HOMEWORK (17)
EXTRA CREDIT (14)
TEST HEAVY (11)
Clear grading criteria (10)
Get ready to read (10)
Rating Trend

Declining

-0.41 avg change
Dec
Jan
Feb
May
Feb
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Last 6 months
Ratings by Course

202

5.0

(1)

CMP142

5.0

(1)

CLOUDTECH

4.0

(1)

CMPE281

3.3

(26)

CMPE202

2.5

(96)
+6 more courses
Difficulty by Course

281

5.0

ACCTA

5.0

CMPE172

4.9

CMPE142

4.3

CMPE202

4.2

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