Who has completed Rocket Spanish Platinum: Level 3?

Who has completed Rocket Spanish Platinum: Level 3? 
What was your experience? Are you fluent and/or conversational in Spanish now?

So I did this mini calculation. I read somewhere that it takes about 575-700 hours to become proficient. 

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Assuming:
Interactive Lesson  Takes 3.5Hours
Written Lesson Takes 1.5Hours
Each Survival Kit lesson Takes    2Hours

The total time to complete:
Level 1: 194 hours
Level 2: 171 hours
Level 3: 144.5 hours
Thus the total time would be: 509.5 hours

Now, throw in a difficulty factor to levels 2 and 3 of 1.2 and 1.3 and you have:
Level 1: 194 hours * 1.0 = 194
Level 2: 171 hours *1.2 = 205.2
Level 3: 144.5 hours * 1.3 =187.85
Total time: 587.05

If you include module test, assuming 2 hours per test:
22 modules * 2 hours = 44 hours

So you have somewhere around ~510 to 631 hours to complete Rocket Spanish Levels 1-3
I know for me, I watch movies in Spanish and also listen to children's books, podcasts and the news in Spanish. If you add all this time together, then you're well over your threshold of 575 hours. 

Evidence suggests that you can become fluent if you go through All of Rocket Spanish at least one AND throw in movies/podcasts/news as you complete it. 

 

Hi Phédre,

I have been through the Platinum course many times and am currently going through the Travelogue course for the second time. Since I had a terrific conversation yesterday via Skype, I would say I'm conversational fluent today. Tomorrow...?

I would throw away the formulas and forget about the estimates (I say that because I'm no doubt stupider than most). Equating accumulating points with gaining conversational fluency can also be a trap. I waited much too long before talking with native speakers - a mistake! If you can combine your online learning using Rocket Spanish and regularly practice speaking with some Latinos, you will do well. I wish you all the best in your language learning.

Saludos,

Steven
 

I agree with Steven on throwing away the formulas and on the importance of speaking with native speakers.  Even at a beginner's level it's helpful.

​Formulas work great for the "average" person.  However, the further you move from "average" the less the formula works.  This has a tendency to create frustration in the learner if he's not performing to the "average."  Everybody learns at different rates.  Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

​Here are some benefits to speaking with a native speaker.

​1. instant feedback on your pronunciation.  This reduces the number of words learned with wrong pronunciation.

2. another voice to hear.  As you have already learned, the different characters, Amy, Mauricio, Carmen, etc. each sound different.  Adding another native speaker helps with being able to hear the word, no matter who says it.

​3.  makes it personal.  Real face to face communication, (even if it's through the internet) is always going to be personal.  I'm not talking about sharing secrets.  I am however referring to the fact that in the RS lessons I hear Amy talking to Mauricio and now also to Carmen about what's going on in their imaginary lives.  However, in my interaction with native speakers, (even at the beginning), it is always about real things that are impacting me or my friends and family in one way or another.  It might be a simple as what someone ate for lunch, or it might be more personal like a loved one in the hospital.  But it's always my conversation and not Amy's or Mauricio's and so it sticks better.

​4.  a larger vocab.  As you talk to native speakers away from RS you will be introduced into their vocabulary and so you will be able to learn more words and see them used in their context and begin to discover more ways to say the same thing.

​There's probably more advantages, but this is what popped into my head when I read this post.

I see you point: Equations are not the end all and engaging with native speakers is important. 

Ironically, I actually do speak with native Spanish speakers on a near daily basis. That was not directly factored into my analysis above. Thanks for pointing that out! 

Considering that I have seen this question asked within Rocket Languages may time so I know that question is floating out there. I, for one, want to know that if I spend my invaluable time going through this program, I would like to know what is a likely outcome. Since I happen to have a strong background in mathematics and science (I'm an engineer and have a background in probability and statistics), it was a simple calculation to do. 

I do think there is value in the calculations above because it not only provides time estimates to complete the course but also level sets against the 575-700 hour metric (taken from a different forum post).  Steve, given your experience you actually confirm that the numbers that I used are ball-park accurate because it takes about 0.8 to 1.2 hours for me to complete a Spanish lesson, thus you will need to go through the language module several times to fully grasp it.  If you throw in the Travelogue module, you'll be well over the 700 hour mark. 

There is also value in the numbers because --if you're like me--you want to know that you have spent your money on a good product. Isn't that the point of buying this software suite, afterall? We are trying to learn Spanish to various degrees of proficiently. Most tend to want to be conversational and/or fluent. Here's where metrics and statistics can help. Now, I do agree with you--one should focus on applying him or herself to the material instead of chasing points. Assuming that you apply yourself adequately, metrics do allow you to level set your expectations. 

There is value in the numbers because it gives you a reasonable time estimate that you can schedule around. If it takes about 700 hours to be fluent, then I'll need to carve out part of my week to devote to furthering my education. This is immensely valuable because most folks will figure out pretty quickly that learning a language requires time and regular practice. It helps to know how much in these instances.

Finally, a note on the numbers that I used. They are more than reasonable for the average person. Take, for instance, the interactive lesson, I noted that it takes 3.5 hours. This should be more than enough time for the average user to go through the lesson at least 2-3x or more! It takes me about 50-70 minutes to get through these lessons. This should account for those who need to review, go through multiple times, and who aren't in a rush--isn't that all of us at some point?

Again, I completely support speaking with Native speakers. It makes sense to do so. 
When it comes to estimating the ROI (return on investment), hard numbers, averages and estimates can shed some light on the matter.

What are your thoughts guys? (gals?)
I'm all for a healthy discussion!














 

I am 22 days into RS.  This post is 3 years old.  So, Phédre, did you achieve your goals?  Are you still around?  How was it for you?
I am a math teacher and have done similar calculations for my goal setting.  It's just kinda fun.