Frequently Asked Questions

The Readiness Meter is the share of the question pool you have truly mastered. A question counts as mastered only after three correct answers in a row, with at least 48 hours since the first correct answer, so a lucky run or a cramming session cannot inflate the number.

No. Readiness is an honest estimate of your preparation, not a prediction of your result. Your exam draws its own questions, and the day itself is yours. What the number does is tell you when scheduling an exam session is a reasonable next step.

They are two different clocks. The daily goal keeps the habit: answer five questions and today’s dots fill in, protecting your streak. The review queue keeps the schedule: every question you have seen has its own review date, and questions come due whenever their interval elapses, all day long. Finishing your five is always enough for today. The queue simply shows what is waiting whenever you want to do more.

HamBeacon uses the SM-2 algorithm. Answer a question correctly and it returns in about a day, then three days, then roughly a month. Miss it and it comes back tomorrow. Your study time goes to the questions you have not locked in yet, instead of the ones you already know.

All three: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Each is built on the current official NCVEC question pool, reproduced unmodified.

Pools rotate on a four year cycle. When the NCVEC publishes the next pool for a class you own, HamBeacon adds it as a free update as the current pool nears the end of its term, so you are always studying the questions your exam will actually use.

No. HamBeacon is an independent study aid built by a licensed operator and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FCC, the NCVEC, the ARRL, or any Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. The question pools are published by the NCVEC and are in the public domain.

You can buy a single class or get all three with the All Access Bundle. Upgrade pricing credits what you already own. Either way it is a one-time purchase with no subscription, ever.

Yes. The first 50 questions of every class are free, with every feature unlocked and no time limit, so you can try the full study system before buying anything.

Yes. Apple Family Sharing is supported, so one purchase can cover your household under Apple’s Family Sharing terms.

All purchases are made through the Apple App Store and are handled by Apple under Apple’s terms, so refund requests go to Apple rather than to the developer.

No. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to sign in to. Your study data lives on your device and, if you enable sync, in your own iCloud.

HamBeacon uses iCloud to keep your progress, bookmarks, and exam history in step across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. There is no setup, and your data stays in your personal iCloud account rather than on a company server.

Yes. Every study mode works fully offline. If you use iCloud sync, your progress catches up across devices the next time you are online.

On iPhone and iPad, you can add HamBeacon widgets to the Home Screen and the Lock Screen. On Mac, they live on the desktop and in Notification Center. Widgets show your streak, today’s progress toward the five-question daily goal, and your Readiness Meter, and they work in the free trial with no purchase required.