English synchronous-online class is online-based learning that enables teachers and students to communicate simultaneously during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the new situation poses some challenges that do not always render excitement for learners. Moreover, speaking English as a foreign language often becomes a barrier for most students. Therefore, the expectations have not been met whether a synchronous-online class is effectively applied or not. From the concerns, the researcher investigated students’ possible challenges and strategies in the class. The researcher conducted a survey using observation, questionnaires, and interviews. There were 43 participants and 6 interviewees from eleventh-grade students of SMA Negeri 1 Depok. The result of this research denotes that most of the respondents (81.3%) showed negative perceptions in their English synchronous-online class. The challenges found by the researcher consist of technical, situational, and language challenges. Students revealed that each of them had different abilities to follow an online course synchronously regarding their former backgrounds and experiences. However, the students from both sides have the strategies to improve their performance in the changing situation. The strategies encompass self-strategy, academic strategy, and environmental strategy. Furthermore, most of the students preferred to have an asynchronous-online class due to its flexibility.