Rocket Languages Reviews

On the plus side, the website is attractive and functions well. The interactive lessons are well-structured and nicely done. I appreciate that they make continued improvements, such as the addition of Write It in the testing sections. Also appreciate that both sound and text are downloadable and the website allows you to listen to only the parts of the lessons you want. I haven't taken advantage of any "social" features like the Forum but I appreciate that Rocket tries to foster a community. The "points" system is an interesting idea.

On the downside, I think there's too much repetition of non-essential vocabulary in the testing sections (I really don't think lesson or unit are words to keep hammering me with). I also think built-in flashcards linked to My Vocabulary would be nice or perhaps automated flashcards for each section. It's also not clear the sequencing of the lessons. This is partially intentional but you'll find yourself tested on material you haven't seen if you don't move across all the lesson types. That said, I've given feedback to the team on many points and they've nearly always been responsive and eager to help and take feedback.

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I am just restarting to learn Mandarin using Rocket Chinese because I had been too busy teaching and building new courses at my current school in China.

Positive:
1. Listening, Reading (in pinyin - latin script and Simplified - chinese script), Writing (initially in pinyin) and speaking is available from the very first lesson.
2. Step by step in a logical fashion based on what would seem to be logical needs of a person new to learning the language.
3. Clear and colourful interface that is easy to follow.
4. There are now cute little incentive badges that give you a sense of your progress. These complement the already colourful interface, but I think this is helpful for both younger and older learners

While I like the course layout very much, there are just a couple of tiny problems that I suspect will be addressed quite quickly on the technical side.

1. I haven't yet figured out how to prevent my browser (Firefox) from asking permission everytime RocketChinese wants to use the camera/microphone. Because I am used to the 7/24 customer service, email is obviously slower, but their responses are usually within 24 hours... so, not intolerable.
2.

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I highly recommend Rocket Languages. The online courses are excellent and very user friendly. As a beginner in Mandarin, I really appreciated the pace and teaching style of the instructors. I especially appreciated the explanations related to grammar. I was so impressed that I purchased an additional license for Level 1 for a family member and purchased Level 2 for myself. I'm looking forward to continuing on with Level 3 once it's released. Customer service via email was quite helpful and quick to respond. Overall, I highly recommend this program.

Just after one day with this program and the help of flash cards I made to help me study, I feel comfortable greeting someone in mandarin while actually knowing what I am saying, I know this will be a long journey but I feel this program will be crucial in getting me to speaking fluent mandarin!

good design of lessons and reviews. The built in tests are also important to provide feed back to assist in tracking and seeing progress.
The program really taught me how to speak Mandarin from day 1. The more lessons I complete, the more I want to practice and to take new lessons.

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It`s a good thing, i was afraid at first it could give me trouble learning it but hey, here I am i can do good by myself if am left all alone in China thanks to rocket chinese for enabling me understanding chinese

I love the fact that I can pay once for this product and not have to worry about paying every month. It gives me the flexibility to learn whenever I want without trying to cram as much as I can before something expires. The lessons are great and I love the review process that allows me to grade and compare my voice to the other. This is definitely one of the best and most flexible programs for learning Chinese on the net!

Rocket Chinese is very helpful if you are studying outside China. Constant practice of conversation, listening is much harder if you are not in country. Rocket Chinese helps simulate total immersion. Also the testing tools allow focus on the most difficult, nagging expressions.

I have had this course over 2 years. I just keep plugging away at it and reviewing it. I am pleased with the hear your own voice feature. I have my money's worth. Eventually I will speak Mandarin fluently.