What you get for your knowledge? the course material is pretty much similar to Econ 11, so you should do well this class if you understand Econ 11. Prof is very knowledgable and concerning (last time, he held 4 different extra OHs before the final). He always tries to be funny in class and his lecture is very easy to understand. So, try to keep awake and listen to his lecture.
What you get for your grade? The test consists of 2 parts: MC/TF/fill-in-the-blank and essay questions. Essay questions are straightforward. Learn the lecture notes, the examples and his study guides, then you should be able to do 80%+ of the essay questions. MC/TF/Fill-in parts are horrible. his graph is very confusing, and you always have more than 10 options to pick the best one. Tests are also really long and exhausting. However, there are a lot of A+'s and A's in class. So if you try your best, you should get an A.

He is the best econ teacher. He gives good lecture, clear and detailed. His exams are pretty long, so you have to know the materials very well, otherwise you might not have enough time to finish them.

McDevitt is definately the hardest professor I have had during my experience here at UCLA. His exam questions are tricky usually he tests you on things you've never seen before. He also fails a good number of people. He is a good teacher, but be prepared to not get the grade that you hoped for because he is unusually difficult.

Yes his class can be challenging. I think the real way to suceed in his class is to make sure you put effort EARLY, and dont wait the day before the test to study.

I didn't take any notes in this class because I bought them from lecture notes.

And I know people have said this before, but review the study questions and lectures notes. And you should be fine. He doesn't really pull anything off of other material or the book. Seriously the book doesn't help AT ALL.

He's a great teacher. His lectures are meticulous, and he doesn't make any mistakes during lecture. However, they tend to be a bit boring. If you want an A in his class, here is what you do: First, buy his lecture notes from the bookstore if they are available and study them EXTREMELY carefully. Second, take very good notes, especially if you can't buy the printed ones. Third, practice the study questions that he gives you until you know them inside and out. Don't bother with the textbook, 0% of his exams are based on the book and 100% based on his lecture notes and study questions. If you study the textbook thoroughly but not his lectures and SQs, you'll get an F without a doubt. On the other hand, if you study his lectures and SQs carefully but never look at the textbook, you'll have no problem getting an A.The questions on his exams are very similar to those in his lectures and SQs.

His lectures are straight forward but dull, but that's econ. his lectures are really important, so if you don't get a chance to go to them you should get lecture notes. the book isn't as important. you can get a A without reading the text book. just study his practice sets and his lecture notes and you should be fine.