The number one skill you need for this class is time management. If you do a little bit every day, the homework is pretty manageable. But who really does that? Expect to stay up pretty late on the last day of an assignment. His tests vary in difficulty, but you should always plan for the worst. They're rarely just about facts. It's better if you get a detailed understanding of what you're doing and how it relates to you. In terms of the rest of the class, you can't slack at all. He yells a lot at the class as a whole, but if you speak up in class and do all of your work on time, he won't yell at you specifically. You kind of just have to get used to the yelling. Most of the time you'll think it's super unfair, I still do, but there isn't really anything you can do. His attitude kind of sucks. But oh well. Another thing I would tell you is to argue with him. Not about rules and stuff, but about his view on things. He appreciates it when people voice their opinions. I'd say that's the number one thing you should do to keep him happy. He hates when he asks a question and no one says anything. You've probably heard a lot of bad things about him, and some of that is true, but if you make good choices you should be okay :)