What does a good vs bad brood pattern look like?

A good brood pattern doesn’t mean a whole hive, or queen, is in good health. But, it’s one of the  indicators that the brood is overall healthy, and at the moment, so is the queen. If you are new to beekeeping, you may not be sure what a good, vs bad, or spotty, brood pattern is. In general, a good brood pattern is one where the queen has laid eggs, larva, or there is capped brood in the majority of the cells (90% or better) on the center area of a frame, leaving few missed cells.

A poor pattern would be where it looks more like a shotgun blast, with some capped brood, mixed with many open cells. This can often indicate a problem, see What causes of a spotty brood pattern?