You can tell it is quality material: solid pine wood. Assembly is dummy-proofed with the pre-drilled holes and everything aligned perfectly. The drawers glide smoothly. 
A downside is that the surfaces are laminates over the solid wood. Frankly I would have preferred the solid wood itself as the surface. The laminate has gotten some scratches, but overall this is a very solid, quality desk for the price and I expect getting many years of use out of it.