While Ive had previous experience teaching myself other languages, attempting to self-study Chinese is a larger than life task. Learning any language without much direction can seem like this, but the grammatical differences, special cases, and the tones that Mandarin has as the cherry on top separate it from the others. Via ExcelMandarin, I was able to bypass a lot of the struggles that this task can bring. Most importantly, this school allowed me to learn in an enjoyable way and be apart of an amazing community.While the coursework can seem like a lot fairly early, the classes alone are worth it. My teacher, Alina, is a welcoming and fun person to learn with. After every class she offered, I felt rejuvenated and motivated to further my knowledge of the language and the culture that China has to offer. Furthermore, upon enrolling to the school, you are added to the Slack community which is full of people who have the same goals as you and a wealth of knowledge to offer should you need assistance.I have to say that I was originally skeptical of the websites promise that I would be beyond HSK1 comprehension after only a few weeks. However, after taking multiple listening and pinyin reading comprehension tests and passing with over 90%, it is definitely true. If you have an interest in Mandarin and you value your time, I strongly recommend EM as the top choice in online-language learning.

I have really loved learned Mandarin with ExcelMandarin. I just finished my second quarter with them and am gearing up to start quarter 3. Learning any new language as an adult is hard, and the teachers here make it so easy to understand and work through your challenges. I never feel judgement from them when I struggle with something (even if everyone else in class is getting it!) and theyre all so nice. I had a lot of life things get in the way this last quarter and had to miss a handful of classes, and they were always ready to support me through that missed content, recorded the classes so I could watch them later, and never made me feel bad about having to miss sometimes. Studying with them is an investment, but its 100% worth it.

Look, I’m 69 years of age. Not every neuron fires like it used to. With that in mind I tackled Chinese with ExcelMandarin. I never could have imagined the support system. Instructors are highly responsive and caring. I NEVER felt as if I was bothering them. The curriculum? Audio. Video. Written. This all gets paced effectively, and you can literally see your progression into Mandarin. The result? I think in Mandarin. I dream in Mandarin. I seek out venues to speak to strangers and it is amazingly rewarding. If they ever start a Q4, I’m in. You deserve this challenge!

If youre serious about learning Mandarin, I can wholeheartedly say that Evan, Garrett, and co are some of the most friendly, talented, and passionate educators that you can have during your study. I thoroughly enjoy my time in class and cannot believe how far I have progressed my Mandarin learning in such a small period of time.Overview: The program is broken into 3 9-week semesters where you start with a cohort of about 6 students. Class is structured such that you learn the material and do homework before class and reinforce everything during class. You spend the entire time in class speaking Mandarin with your classmates. I LOVED this class structure because it made your time in class really effective. Everything builds on top of each other so you are constantly reinforcing your material. Furthermore, the actual content you practice is real and practical.As with any language class this class is a commitment: you WILL have to practice your flash cards and you WILL have study every day. It is challenging. But the pay off is amazing; by week 3 most of the class is lectured in Chinese and you would not believe how much youve learned in such a small period of time.If youre serious about learning Mandarin, then I cannot recommend this program enough.Evan老师, Garret老师, and everyone - you all have done a stellar job at making this language accessible to all. 感谢!

Overview:ExcelMandarin showed me that learning Mandarin does not have to be hard. Evan has meticulously crafted a number of techniques to aid in learning the language. I found that flash cards were the most useful tool for me because of how they are programmed. The key to success imho is to build your daily routine around the flashcards. My review is written after completing Q1.Expectations:You can expect the class to be fast. The workload is like an English 101 class. Plan for around 4 to 8 hours of homework a week. I found that the most important thing I could do was to practice the flashcards every single day. It is critical that you practice the flashcards every day, throughout the day.My Experience:Classes are small. The teachers care about your progress and are there to help you every step of the way. Coursework is difficult but rewarding. During class, we learn the language through different immersion techniques. Outside of class we learn the language through flashcards and homework.

I cannot say enough about good things about my experience with ExcelMandarin. Evan and his team are exceptional teachers and the curriculum they have set up far surpasses any of my previous experiences learning Chinese in more formal, academic institutions.The course is brilliantly constructed. The information prioritizes the necessary foundation of speaking and listening, while introducing characters once that baseline is established. I am not a natural language learner, but Ive found the classes and homework allow me to strengthen my skills in a way that not only works, but feels incredibly natural.The only thing better than the course itself are the individuals who run it. Evan hosts a fun and engaging class, quickly defying any of my fears about online learning. We get the opportunity to work individually, in pairs, and in small groups, utilizing a wide array of tools and methods to ensure learning is possible for everyone. Every teacher is kind, professional, and encouraging. They all genuinely care about each students progress and go out of their way to provide additional resources and help for those that want it.I am blown away by my time with ExcelMandarin, making it one of the best educational experiences I have ever had. Im always looking forward to the next class, the next week, and the next quarter. This truly has been worth every penny and minute Ive spent with the EM team!Thank you to all of the incredible staff there that has made such a challenging language accessible and fun to learn for all of us!

Evan is quite a remarkable teacher. He expects a lot from his students but has an almost magical ability to inspire. Ive always considered myself to be nearly incapable of learning a language, dyslexia makes even my native English hard. However Im so impressed and proud of the conversation Im able to hold with my native Mandarin speaking partner, this progress is definitely facilitated by Evan and the Excel Mandarin team.

My wife and I took the quarter 1 course at excel mandarin when we were planning on visiting China this year. Though those plans are now canceled, I am still glad I got to take the classes. Evan is a very patient instructor, explains things clearly, and ramp up difficulty at a reasonable pace. Though the virus canceled our last couple classes, we are wrapping it up with online classes. I highly recommend Excel Mandarin to anyone wishing to learn mandarin. Just be warned that it can be lots of work.

Chinese is the first language other than English that Ive ever truly tried to learn. At first I tried a couple of phone apps and such, but could never get in rhythm enough to actually retain anything resembling conversational understanding. I decided to give Excel Mandarin a shot due to the much quicker timelines compared to taking university classes or using text books, and just completed my first of three sections. Ive been extremely surprised at how much I am learning and my ability to put together sentences and understand spoken Chinese. There is no doubt that it takes a lot of time and daily practice to see this progress, but the three weekly classes keep me on schedule and prevent me from falling behind. Im excited to continue my studies so that I can be prepared for a year abroad and see how much I can learn over the next two sections. With anything, you get what you put in, and learning a language takes a lot of practice. I used to think I was too old and just didnt have the ability to learn a language, but the progress Ive made has given me a ton of confidence to keep practicing and seeing results.

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 Ive 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 cant say enough good things about my experience. My one caveat (which Evan will stress in your trial class): Show up ready to work. Its 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 its for you!

I researched the hell out of local Mandarin classes and this one stood out, and the reviews and meeting with Evan for a free first class were the ticket that sold me. This class is AMAZING! This is unlike any other language course I have taken. Yes, you have to put in the time everyday, but I guarantee that if you follow the excellent curriculum materials provided for each lesson, you WILL be speaking conversational mandarin by the end of the first course. This class is fun. IT-IS-FUN!Evan and the other teachers are wonderful, patient and encouraging. When you see the curriculum you will understand how much thought and preparation goes into making sure the written, audio and spoken lessons come together.Regarding class time, this is NOT a competitive environment. I am in a class of 6 and we’re all supportive and encouraging of each other and it makes a huge difference. It’s the most inspiring language course I have ever taken and I cannot wait to move onto the next set of course work!If you can take the course, it will be time and money well spent, and I look forward to speaking with you at an EM reunion of students :).Oh, and like Ray’s post before mine, he and I are in the same age bracket and he was finishing up the course when I started. We’re on the same page in terms of initial apprehension. You will do just fine.

If youre serious about learning Mandarin, this is the best class available, hands down. When I was learning French, I didnt 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.

Evans enthusiasm is one of the main reasons I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience in his classes. He is passionate about his teachings and he is willing to work on whats best for both parties. Evans assignments are straightforward and he highly encourages learning not just from the teachers but also from your fellow classmates. His classes are setup to be small and built around the concept of allowing people to work with each other.

Overall, Im happy with the experience at Excel Mandarin. The classes are small, the teachers are good and there is a lot of verbal interaction in classes. The one big issue that I had is that the curriculum regarding Chinese character learning and vocabulary building was not suitable for the way I enjoy learning, at all. After trying it out for a while and being unhappy, I decided to completely stop using the Excel Mandarin curriculum and started using alternate avenues for learning these skills and was much happier and made much faster progress.

As someone who has studied Chinese with six other teachers and websites in both the US and China, I can say with confidence that Excel Mandarin is by far the best way to start learning the language.Excel Mandarin has two things that set it apart from any other program youll find. The first is the lead teacher Evan, who is incredibly charismatic and understanding to the difficulties of learning a new language.The second factor is the curriculum he has designed, which essentially took the best aspects of every program Id done before and put them in one. Many books or websites will be strong in only one aspect of teaching the language. For example, some books will teach grammar well, but force you to inefficiently try to learn characters through route memorization. Other books have really good techniques for learning characters, but their explanations of the spoken language are terrible. Many websites will have good videos on pronunciation, but move at too slow a pace, or once again have mediocre methods of teaching characters or grammar. Not only does the Excel Mandarin curriculum address grammar, writing, vocab, and pronunciation all in one, but it teaches all of these in an extremely efficient way that steers clear of any route memorization at all.Chinese may seem impossible to learn at first, but thats because very few people in the West have figured out how to teach it effectively yet. Evan is the exception, and I imagine that anyone who has ever tried to learn Mandarin from another program will recognize how special Excel Mandarin is after taking the free trial lesson.Seriously guys, this is the real deal!

Im really enjoying my classes with Evan and Garrett. They are extremely passionate and are great teachers. My chinese has improved a surprising amount. Went from having basically no knowledge to speaking actual, non-trivial sentences within two weeks of class. Fun and effective.

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!

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.

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 thats 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.

I signed up for ExcelMandarins group course after having an amazing trial class with Evan. The classes offers a unique teaching approach which is way more effective than the traditional ways weve usually seen mandarin being taught. I have been with Evan and Helen for about 3 months and Ive always enjoyed my time in class. Theres so much passion and enthusiasm from the teachers and fun examples to help you retain much more language materials. Never ever thought I would be able to read through and translate a mandarin book within 3 months of learning (Crazy)!! Strongly recommend ExcelMandarin to everyone!!!

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)

Do this now!!! After only 5 weeks, I was able to carry on basic conversations and understand good parts of dialogues from mandarin tv shows! The work is demanding and the classes are high energy - you will have fun and realize quick progress if you choose to learn the Excel way!

I would highly recommend ExcelMandarin. I have been working with Evan 1:1 for about a month now in preparation for a trip to China, and he has made everything so interesting and easy. I came in with zero experience and it was very exciting to start recognizing characters on the street after the first lesson! Evan is very caring towards his students and takes the time to check in often and make sure the pace is good and you truly do understand. He also takes the time to make it fun and memorable, explaining the fascinating stories behind some characters. Hes also very willing to try new things if you tell him one method of memorization isnt working for you. Theres also an emphasis on novel production and making your own sentences both within the class and in homework, so youll never just be memorizing survival phrases. This is a great place to begin a lifetime journey :)

Like most language learning, the results you see is directly correlated to how much work you put in. Excel Mandarin streamlines this process with establishing a cohesive learning environment, providing myriad resources to immerse yourself into Chinese culture, and giving a high degree of personal attention in each class. The instructors clearly care a lot about the progress their students make and it shows through their classes. If youre on the fence about it, they even provide a trial class. If youre serious about learning Mandarin, I would strongly consider ExcelMandarin

I worked with a tutor in Kunming, China for a short time and made very little progress, so when I got back to Seattle I looked around for options -- most programs here offer long classes once a week, which is a terrible format for any language learning, especially one as complex as Mandarin.So I was thrilled when I found Excel Mandarin. We meet three times a week for an hour each time, theres a good level of homework in between, and videos for prep and review. Its definitely a time commitment, but one thats super worthwhile and very effective -- Im halfway through semester one, and Im surprised and thrilled with the progress Im making. I will definitely continue with Semester 2 next spring.Evan is a fantastic teacher and the course is structured extremely well. Our starting point for each class is a new set of related characters, which I thought would be challenging, but its really worked with my visual style of learning and now I think its an essential approach. I love it. We started working on dialogues really fast, and weve already reached a conversational stage now -- which for me is still clumsy, but great. I feel well supported, and Im confident Ill learn Mandarin well.Cant recommend Evans approach enough.

I am a second generation Chinese who always had a really hard time learning and remembering the characters. My favorite thing about these guys is all the creative learning materials that they shared with us. The living characters and character stories really make learning fun and make the culture accessible.

Evan has been an amazing tutor. He was great at assessing my ability, and tailored a program that would fit my needs and wants. Evan is very easy to work with, and personally, I like that as an American Chinese language learner, he had to go through the exact same learning process that Im going through now, so he definitely knows the frustrations and difficulties that come with that. I would highly recommend his program to anyone at any stage of Mandarin language learning.

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 its, 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.Ive 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.

An incredible school! I took the intro class that lasted 4 months with Garrett. ExcelMandarin was great for the following reasons.1) Instructors - Garrett and Evan were great! Garrett came prepared and taught each class very well. They provided easily understandable and detailed explanations to any question I may have. They were always available outside of class to answer any question I may have. Lastly, due to the solid instruction, efficient use of class time, and fun atmosphere, Garrett made it enjoyable to come to class each time.2) Material - One the key reasons why I took the class was the modern approach to learning Mandarin. ExcelMandarin uses a unique approach by applying mobile apps and constructing thoughtful lesson plans.I learned an incredible amount and learned with an incredible group of classmates. If you want to learn Mandarin, I would highly recommend!

Ive gone from zero to sixty in a matter of weeks. ExcelMandarin is a high-intensity program for the serious student, but the teaching methodology makes the learning process very accessible and fun. The teachers have been extremely responsive to my individual needs, and thats been huge as Im entirely new to Mandarin.My impression is that this is one of the world-wide best programs for learning Mandarin.

Evan is a very enthusiastic teacher! His passion for the Chinese culture and language helped me stay focused & motivated even when it seemed that my brain was about to explode.

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.

The instructors are effective and passionate. Its clear from interacting with them, as well as from the learning materials that Evan and the other teachers are invested in teaching their students Mandarin. Ive taken Mandarin in college, as well as a small amount of Chinese Saturday school when I was a kid, and this was the only time it stuck. I think the small classes (6-7 students in my class), as well as the course design contribute to this being more effective than the other times ive taken Chinese. Be prepared to commit time to studying though. In addition to the classes themselves, I regularly spent between 45 minutes and 2 hours a day working through the material (videos, homework, anki). The time is well spent though, and I definitely felt like it was worth the commitment.

This classroom setting is a perfect way to easily attain new information that can and will be valuable to real world applications. This isnt your run of the mill education, and that is a positive, because learning a new language requires an active mind that is surely provided at this school. Definitely worth the time and money

Ive been in Evans class for about 3 months. Ive 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 wont 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 Ive 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!

In my opinion, ExcelMandarin offers the best Mandarin classes in the greater Seattle area.Ive 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 doesnt 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 classExcelMandarin is the only school that offered all of the above.Its very obvious that the head teacher, Evan, focuses on quality. Im 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

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 Im 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.

Evan has been a great teacher! I actually look forward to going to class and Ive learned so much in just the past few months. His teaching method is far more effective than the typical monotonous repetition and his lesson plans are great for adult learners. Hes always willing to try new things and adapt to an individuals learning style. His explanations are thorough and often humorous so theyre easy to remember. My family and friends are really impressed with my progress!

Im 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.======================Whats different about this school (as compared to other stuff Ive 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), youre 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. Theres 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. Its 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: Id venture to say that this is The Thing that sets this place apart from others that Ive tried. The teachers here are what makes this school unique. If youre having trouble, theyll try to find ways to fit your personal learning style. Or if you want to challenge yourself, theyll 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 Id advise giving it 6-8 hours. You have three 1-hour long classes per week. (Im 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 were 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 youve 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 youll 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.