Frequently Asked Questions

Hive BeeReady is a 6-week crash course designed specifically for students preparing for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. It covers patterns, roots, encoding/decoding, Greek and Latin, Romance languages, vocabulary strategies, and elite-level guesswork. The course was created and is taught by Ekansh Rastogi, who placed Top 5 at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The course runs from April 6 to May 17, 2026. This is timed so students peak right before Bee Week (May 26-28).

Every week follows the same structure: Monday is an expert article, Tuesday is a live webinar with Ekansh, Wednesday and Friday are quizzes, Thursday is a mock bee in competition format, Saturday is office hours with 1:1 coaching time, and Sunday you receive a personalized progress report and next week's agenda. You can see the full schedule in the Calendar.

The 6 weeks cover: Week 1 diagnostics and soft skills, Week 2 roots, prefixes, and decoding, Week 3 Greek and Latin patterns, Week 4 Romance language patterns (French, Italian, Spanish), Week 5 vocabulary, written test strategy, and German, Week 6 elite tricks, obscure patterns, and guesswork strategies.

The course is designed for students heading to Nationals, but it is also valuable for any serious speller who wants to build the skills needed to compete at the highest level. If you are working towards qualifying for Nationals in a future year, this course builds the exact foundation you need.

BeeReady was created by Ekansh Rastogi, who placed Top 5 at the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee and has 8+ years of spelling competition and coaching experience. Ekansh designed the entire curriculum and teaches the weekly live webinars himself.

Every BeeReady student gets full access to the Hive Nationals module, which includes 5,000+ words (including the official Scripps 4,000-word study list), quizzes, articles, video lessons, tips and tricks, and more. All content is organized by difficulty and language of origin.

Once you are registered, log in to hivespelling.com and navigate to the BeeReady section. You will see the full learning path with all 6 weeks of content, quizzes, and resources. New content unlocks each week as the course progresses.

You earn points by completing quizzes, participating in mock bees, finishing lessons, and maintaining daily streaks. The Leaderboard shows how you rank against other BeeReady students. There are both weekly and all-time rankings. It is a fun way to stay motivated and track your progress.

Points come from quizzes (based on accuracy and completion), mock bees, lesson completions, and streak bonuses for practicing on consecutive days. Badges are awarded for milestones like completing your first quiz, hitting a 5-day streak, scoring 100% on a quiz, and finishing all 6 weeks.

Yes. You can retake any quiz or revisit any lesson as many times as you want. In fact, we encourage it. Repetition is one of the best ways to reinforce what you have learned, especially for tricky patterns and exceptions.

Live webinars with Ekansh are held every Tuesday. The specific time will be shared with registered students before the course begins. All webinars are recorded and available to rewatch if you cannot attend live.

Mock bees happen every Thursday and are run in real competition format. This means you will practice under the same conditions you will experience at Nationals, including time pressure, pronouncer interaction, and on-stage composure. They are one of the most valuable parts of the course.

Every Saturday there are open office hours where you can join and ask Ekansh questions about anything from that week's material. There is also dedicated time for 1:1 coaching sessions where Ekansh works with you individually on areas you need the most help with.

Every Sunday you receive a report that covers your progress for the week, your quiz and mock bee results, areas of strength, areas that need more focus, and the agenda for the coming week. This helps you and your parents always know exactly where you stand.

The regular price is $300. The first 25 students to register get 50% off at $150. This includes the full 6-week course plus access to the Hive Nationals module with 5,000+ words and all resources.

Visit hivespelling.com/beeready and click Register Now. Payment is handled securely through Stripe. Once registered, you will get immediate access to the BeeReady dashboard and learning path.

Yes. We offer a free 1-on-1 diagnostic session with Ekansh where he assesses your current level, identifies strengths and areas for focus, and helps you get the most out of the crash course. No cost, no commitment. Just reply to any of our emails or reach out to erastogi@hivespelling.com to set one up.

Yes, you can still join after April 6. You will have access to all previous weeks' content including recorded webinars, quizzes, and articles. However, we strongly recommend joining as early as possible to get the most out of the live sessions and mock bees.

Every Sunday your child receives a personalized progress report that you can review together. It shows quiz results, mock bee performance, strengths, and what to focus on next week. You can also view the progress dashboard and leaderboard on the platform at any time.

Each day's activity takes roughly 30 minutes to 1 hour. Live webinars and mock bees may run a bit longer. The course is designed to be intensive but manageable alongside school and other activities. Consistency matters more than long study sessions.

For any questions about BeeReady or the Hive platform, email erastogi@hivespelling.com. You can also use the Contact button on the BeeReady dashboard to reach Ekansh directly. We aim to respond within 24 hours.