<p>For the most part, it’s accurate. Sometimes you have someone who really hates the professor, but you can usually tell. </p>
<p>For example, I took a class with a professor who had a 4.5 overall rating and a couple reviews that said “this class was awful, too hard, and she expects too much work from you” whereas others said “the content of the class is hard but she’s genuinely kind and helpful and will help you navigate through it.” Clearly, the bad reviews were just based on the hard content, so the trick is to find consistency amongst the reviews (whether or not most people think they’re nice, if the course itself is hard, etc) and then go with your gut.</p>