I am sharing my perception and feelings after having completed two initial courses at Excel Mandarin, the 4-week Intro class and the 7-week first quarter, on my journey of this four-quarter Fluency series. The Excel Mandarin learning method strikes me as the most advanced teaching format out there. It unconditionally focuses on enabling Mandarin listening and speaking skills for daily life situations. I have tried other formats before, such as group classes and individual tutoring, as well as individual apps, which were all of course helpful but not providing me with a learning progress I had been seeking. This Excel Mandarin method does for me what none of the other approaches I tried could do - it enabled me after these initial three months so far to hold a basic conversation in Mandarin with increasing confidence. It did a shift in my mind and taught me how to learn. A method called 'reverse classroom' is used to make students speak and practice in Mandarin right away all the time, instead of mainly listening to content delivery by a teacher. This way, right from the first class, students learn to overcome this huge mental hurdle, anxiety and hesitation and learn to listen and speak Mandarin, and embedded the words and grammar structures. The class format itself is online in a small, intimate group setting. The classes feel relaxed and engaging, and it is fun and motivating to connect with the teachers and peer learners. It must be clearly stated though - This method requires the regular time commitment to prepare for each class, besides the normal time for work and social life. There are three evening classes per week for the fast pace, and it is essential to use these days in-between to study and complete homework to prepare, so one can feel relaxed when each class begins. Only a prepared mind will be relaxed to take the benefit of the reverse classroom approach. To support this, there is a dedicated tailored Excel Mandarin app to provide weekly vocabulary, grammar teachings and dedicated articles and online office hour, with immediate supporting feedback on homework provided. The app is designed extremely well, connecting content, fellow students and teachers. The engagement of the teachers is so high, with many follow-ups and touchpoints. The method's effectiveness rests on two pillars - the thoughtfully created online learning app framework, as well as the just outstanding teachers who just thrive to see students succeed and coach them with this reverse classroom learning method. The two teachers I work with, Eco and Tim, are just stellar. At the end of the first quarter, students are giving a short, few-minutes basic presentation about one topic of their choice, and then answer questions by their fellow students .... All in Mandarin, with the vocabulary and grammar kit available so far. At the end of the first quarter I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment and confidence. I feel no other Mandarin learning system can even remotely deliver this in an equal time frame. The second quarter, which I just started, has the same feeling of clear and effective support structure, and I get into the groove of good time management for best using this fast-paced and fun method. read more

I've now taken both Q1, Q2, and Q3 with EM, and I'm very impressed with my progress. In Q1, I learned a lot of new vocabulary and key sentence structures. In Q2, I learned more complex grammar and vocabulary that's been very practical for discussing everyday life. I learned how to express my opinions more and talk about food, hobbies, and travel, which is not only useful, but also fun to practice. In Q3, I learned how to talk about more complex topics, such as work, emotions, and changes. EM classes are a fairly significant time commitment (class 3x per week + weekly homework), but definitely worth it. Their approach to teaching - focusing on speaking, lots of practice in class, tailored toward what would be most practical for most people - has enabled me to progress faster in learning the language than I would've been able to in other programs. On top of that, my teachers and classmates are funny and enjoyable to spend time with! I'm continuing on to the intermediate conversation class because I'm excited to further improve my speaking fluency and discuss more interesting topics with classmates. read more

I had the initial orientation call with Darren, and we had a nice practice conversation in Mandarin. During the course of the call, Darren was super open about what the classes entailed and we found that I needed something a little more advanced than the semester 3 material, but not as advanced as their heritage classes. Even so, Darren was still very helpful in pointing me to other resources to improve my mandarin, which makes me strongly believe that they do genuinely care about finding the best fit for their students. read more

I'm going to write this review like an answer to "What Do You Wish Someone Told You Before You Took Classes?" or a "Read This Before You Buy" type of thing. ====================== What's different about this school (as compared to other stuff I've tried): 1) Their system is especially good for learning the characters. Would highly highly recommend to anyone that struggles with reading and writing Chinese. More detail on this later. 2) Lots of resources. In addition to the expected regular class material (lesson notes, lesson videos, homework sheets), you're given many other resources to support you: a class WeChat group, a native language partner, and your teacher. - We have a WeChat group for our class. I can message my classmates questions I have and figure things out *together* -- the best way to learn, imo. There's a community feel to everything. - You get a native Chinese language partner, too-- they put you in touch with a native speaker to practice your Mandarin with and message anytime. It's a language exchange group, so most of them are natives living in China who are all excited to speak Chinese with you. It felt more like making a pen pal friend abroad in China than study time, tbh. - Our teacher is available pretty much all the time on WeChat-- I was so surprised by how friendly my teacher was to address any minute question I had. Was even more surprised when I got an immediate answer at 10:30pm on a weekday! (Tangent on the teachers here: I'd venture to say that this is The Thing that sets this place apart from others that I've tried. The teachers here are what makes this school unique. If you're having trouble, they'll try to find ways to fit your personal learning style. Or if you want to challenge yourself, they'll help you with that too. (One of the big reasons why I wanted to learn Chinese in the first place was to read "Journey to the West", and after I let my teacher know that, they helped me find a good graded reader for the series that was at my level.) ====================== Things to know before you decide to take the plunge: 1) You get what you put in; make sure you have the time to devote to it before jumping the gun. This class will need a minimum of 6 hours per week, though I'd advise giving it 6-8 hours. You have three 1-hour long classes per week. (I'm on a Tu Th Sun schedule.) Homework before each class takes 1-1.5 hours. On top of doing your homework and being in class, you should also spend about 1-2 hours per week reviewing characters and their pronunciations in Anki (an app we have to practice the characters we're learning and their tones). Other stuff-- like talking to your language partner on WeChat, or reading a fun book that your teacher gave you because you wanted to challenge yourself-- will be on top of that. 2) If you've taken other Chinese classes before, this will be a little different, since most schools you just learn by topic, like "foods" or "greetings/salutations" or "taking the bus". Here you'll be taught groups of characters in order of what written components make up each character. This is what I think made it much easier for to retain and recall the written characters. ====================== More on me: Reading/writing is my weakest point (like most ABCs). Like most of you probably, I've tried a lot of methods to make it stick: I took Mandarin classes in college, self studied with DuoLingo, and went to Saturday morning Chinese school for a while as a child. Rather than explain further, to end this already long-enough review, I'll just leave you with an anecdote I sent to my teacher on WeChat: "... I was doing work for this class and going thru the Anki deck when I suddenly realized that yeah, I actually am remembering way more characters than I was when I was taking Chinese in college. Because of the way the curriculum is structured I can group together characters with similar components and distinguish between them, because those were the ones that I otherwise would mix up, like 请 and 情 and 晴. It's really helpful having the different radicals explained out, like with all the different 请情晴, knowing what each radical means drastically helps you remember which radical to write, because before I'd be like 'hmm what's the thing on the left for this again' but with knowing the radicals' meanings you just kinda get it for free. The radicals were never emphasized or explained in any of my former mando education, which made it hard to recall characters when writing. Also all of the memory devices you introduce in your videos really help with written character recall. Especially when they reference things we already know, like in 喝, with the beggar under the sun 日 and then little 人 in the 勺, I've always had trouble remembering how to write that character but now I don't. Like you always say, linking to preexisting bits of knowledge really helps you remember stuff, wow." read more

If you're serious about learning Mandarin, this is the best class available, hands down. When I was learning French, I didn't have the same resources or classroom at my disposal and the difference in my speaking and listening ability between French and Mandarin is like night and day. Even before our classes started, Evan and Garret set me up with tons of resources to help me dive deep into the language. The classes are structured such that you have an opportunity to practice language constructs, characters and grammar. You work with the other members of a small classroom (when I did it, there were just 6 of us in our cohort) to practice speaking and listening. As a word of warning though, this class is serious business. Be prepared to spend lots of time outside of class practicing and self studying to keep up with the material. read more

I just finished the first level of the Mandarin class at Excel Mandarin. It was a great experience! Mandarin is an extremely challenging language, but Evan breaks it down well and has created an excellent curriculum. Outside of the class my teacher was always available if I had questions about homework or general Chinese language questions. Evan really sets you up for success on your language learning journey, I'm looking forward to doing the second class in the future! read more

ExcelMandarin has been the best language learning experience I've had, hands down. Whether you're absolutely new to the language or want to brush up on talking smack in Mandarin with your Aunties, Evan has created a course to help you achieve your language goals. As a heritage speaker with prior experience learning Mandarin in traditional college-level lectures, I've personally found classes to be well-paced, interactive, and challenging in the best way. Learning any language can be rigorous but Evan (and Helen) make every class fun and engaging. If you're ready to take your Mandarin to the next level and willing to commit to it, this is it. read more

We are very lucky to have Evan and ExcelMandarin here in Seattle. If you want to learn Mandarin, there's no better choice! I tried learning Mandarin with Rosetta Stone, but grew frustrated with the app itself and my lack of progress. I found it was very hard to stay motivated when my only learning was through an app. With ExcelMandarin, I feel this momentum building in my progress that really keeps me engaged and excited to continue to learn. I've completed Q1 and through that course, I always felt like the class was at the perfect pace. Evan understands the language at a deep level and his curriculum focuses on core building blocks and words/phrases that you'll actually want to say. As long as you commit yourself to the class, you will feel yourself building and building every week! read more

I have been working with Evan for three months now and I am really pleased. I had a limited grasp of the language (passed HSK1 in Oct 2017) but was having difficulty advancing my studies on my own. After working with Evan for nearly two months, I felt comfortable enough to take HSK2 and received a score of 197/200 in May! While there is still a ton to learn, the progress I have made in such a short time has encouraged me to stick with ExcelMandarin. Evan is extremely passionate and easy to work with. He takes the time to customize lesson plans based on what I'm interested in learning while incorporating fundamentals. Evan is also flexible with scheduling classes which I really appreciate since I work full time. I was overwhelmed by the number of Mandarin tutors in Seattle but I can confidently say I have been having a great time learning with ExcelMandarin. I would definitely recommend them for other people trying to improve their Mandarin skills. read more

A colleague recommended ExcelMandarin while I asked around looking for a school to learn Mandarin. I signed up to talk to Evan about how he teaches the language and why it's, better for students. I really connected with his teaching philosophy: understanding culture and history behind a character really helps you internalize the meaning instead of brute memorization. I've enjoyed our private lessons, Evan is patient and passionate about teaching. He is knowledgable enough to answer random questions that pop into my head through the course of a lesson. I would highly recommend this school if you want an unconventional Mandarin experience with a devoted teacher. read more

I have tried learning mandarin a few times between classes offered at work, phone apps, and online classes - but I was never able to stick with any of them. Every time I found the teachers reading from outdated textbooks and there was no real commitment or expectation from either the teacher or the students. I was extremely happy to find a class that met often enough where I could actually make a connection with both the teachers and classmates. If you are serious about learning Chinese this is the place you want to go. Evan does an amazing job developing the curriculum and tailoring it to each class. After years of trying, I am now finally able to hold simple conversations with my Chinese friends (after only five weeks at excel mandarin) read more

I've been studying Mandarin off and on for about 7 years, and I've had several different so-so Mandarin teachers along the way. But I'm now really enjoying learning Mandarin in Evan's ExcelMandarin classes. Evan is super enthusiastic about his teaching, and he's always trying to iterate on his teaching methods and class structure to find the most effective way to teach Mandarin. Evan has also proactively made himself available online to help students outside of class, and also helped students organize online to help each other learn. There's no single silver bullet to learning Mandarin, and no matter what you're going to have to supplement classes with practice reading, writing, and speaking outside of class. But if you're excited to learn the language and willing to do the work, these classes will provide an excellent framework and pacing for your overall learning strategy. read more

This program is only for those serious about learning Mandarin. This isn't like other programs where you can show up and expect to learn a couple phrases here and there. It is an accelerated learning process that requires you to drill in the material from day 1. My only minor complaint was that this was more focused on speaking and listening rather than writing, and that there wasn't enough formal testing (which might be a good thing for others), but you are expected to supplement your in-class learning on your own time. As someone with previous experience with Chinese, this class still served as a great refresher course and I learned concepts and grammar patterns that I never learned before. You get what you put in, and if you expect actually learn Mandarin in this program, you better work your ass off. read more

I've been in Evan's class for about 2.5 months. I've always wanted to learn another language but have been hesitant because traditional teaching methods never worked for me. I knew I would love his class the first session I had. Evan is enthusiatic and passionate about teaching. He truly loves the language and the culture and strives to make every class fun. He works at the pace of his students and comes into class ready to get everyone hyped about learning Mandarin. He uses different teaching methods to make class exciting and won't ever load you with too much information at once. Evan not only has a fun, fresh approach to teaching but he makes himself readily available to all of his students and encourages them to interact with each other as well. Evan is by far the best teacher I've had, I wish every teacher went into class with as much enthusiasm and passion as Evan. I would recommend Excelmandarin to anyone who wants to learn the language! read more

Excel mandarin is a very professional but at the same time laid back experience to learning mandarin. The methods used in the lessons are good at creating a useful word bank where the further you go into the class the easier it becomes to string longer sentences together. The classes are small which means you can ask multiple questions every class and get a better understanding on any portion of the course you may be struggling with. The teachers are very nice and understanding and never pressure you into participating if you feel uncomfortable with the current lesson. On a financial standpoint they are very flexible and work with any issues you may have with payments for the courses. Overall Evan and his crew are a great choice to learn mandarin and even help you with any questions you may have once the course is completed. read more

In my opinion, ExcelMandarin offers the best Mandarin classes in the greater Seattle area. I've researched a lot of different schools and even attended a class at Bellevue College last year. None of them checked all the boxes I was looking for: - Smaller class size (4-8 students) - Evening class that meets 3-4 times a week - Deep focus on characters and dialogue - A teacher who doesn't strictly follow a textbook and continuously improves his or her class material. - A teacher who is genuinely excited to teach the class - General guidance and tools for effectively learning Mandarin outside of class ExcelMandarin is the only school that offered all of the above. It's very obvious that the head teacher, Evan, focuses on quality. I'm on month 3 and although it is a challenging class, I am learning much more than I would have elsewhere. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about learning the language. read more

I've been taking classes with Evan for... oh wow, I think it's been something like 4 months already. Bottom line: it's been awesome. I chose Excel Mandarin because of their flexibility; I travel a lot for work, and other language teaching options told me that missing a quarter to a third of the classes was something that just wasn't workable. Evan, on the other hand, immediately told me it was something he could work around, and he's absolutely kept his word. Classes have been excellent - I'll use "my class" here with the understanding that it's the same as all of the group classes as far as I'm aware. My class has been small (3-5 people), with great personal attention from Evan, who cares a LOT about each individual student. He keeps track (somehow) of where we're all at, our strengths and weaknesses, and tailors class accordingly. Plus, the dude's enthusiasm is unstoppable. On top of this, the other students are top-notch. We've had chances to spend time together as a group and they've all been a lot of fun - there's a cheesy point to be made here about how maybe the best part of learning another language is the friends you make along the way. The bottom line here is that Excel Mandarin is a great place to learn, and I would absolutely recommend it. read more

Evan and his team have put together a fantastic curriculum for learning Mandarin. As an older person learning Mandarin, I was a bit intimidated but my apprehension was quickly dispelled as classes started. Evan has put a great deal of thought into how to introduce Mandarin to native English speakers. The class is fun, engaging, and of course difficult, but that's the point. In just about 4 months I have gained a basic understanding of all the grammar rules, know 500 characters and am reading at an elementary level. read more

If you are looking for a fun, affordable way to learn mandarin extremely quickly, then this is the program for you!  I finished the first quarter recently and I am already able to communicate on some level with native speakers, which is a great feeling!  Evan and the other teachers at ExcelMandarin are all extremely proficient at spoken and written mandarin, and, importantly, they are clearly passionate about teaching.  The course structure and lessons are very well thought-out and clearly designed in a way to make learning this difficult language much more accessible.  Class sizes are VERY small (my section had only four students), so you get a lot of individual attention, which is crucial for a language like this where pronunciation is so important.  In addition to the classes, you get free subscriptions to tools/apps to help with studying outside of class.  There are also homework assignments (they use the Canvas platform) that instructors grade promptly and provide individualized feedback.  Furthermore, if you need additional help, the instructors are always willing to stay after class, meet before class, or chat via phone/text.  I did a lot of research into mandarin lessons in the Seattle area, and I am so glad that I finally settled on ExcelMandarin! read more

This school is SO AWESOME. I spent the last 4 months in the introductory class, with Garrett as my teacher, and 5 of the coolest classmates I could ask for. The ExcelMandarin team cares about ONE THING: you learning this wonderful (and difficult) language. The teaching staff has a mastery and a love for the language, and it shows. They bring a WAY more modern day approach to this class than what I've seen in other schools. Lots of Chinese learning apps, custom study sessions, very well thought out lessons, and GREAT support- both in-class and out. One of the coolest things was how they adjusted the class to fit our needs as we went (revisiting lessons if we needed or focusing more on conversational structure and pronunciation as needed). They created a friendly and welcoming environment and showed up with a smile every single day. I can't say enough good things about my experience. My one caveat (which Evan will stress in your trial class): Show up ready to work. It's a demanding class and there are high expectations on your time throughout the class. ExcelMandarin rocks. Highly recommend. Go sign up for a free class and see if it's for you! read more