Boy Scout Advancement

The Boy Scout requirements for rank are the basis for a Boy Scout's advancement.  There are four basic steps in Boy Scout Advancement.

• The Boy learns. He learns Scouting skills by taking an active, hands-on part in troop and patrol meetings and outdoor programs. this learning, as we said above, is the natural outcome of his regular Scouting activities -- his "on-the-job" training.

• He is tested. When his leaders see that he has mastered a given skill and satisfied a given requirement, they tell him so -- and record his achievement.

• He is reviewed. When a Scout completes all requirements for a rank, he appears before a "board of review" composed of members of the troop committee. Their purpose is not to retest him, but to make sure he has met all the requirements, to chat with him about how he feels he's getting along with the troop and its program, and of course to encourage him to keep advancing.

• He is recognized. When a Scout is certified by the Board of Review, he is awarded his new badge of rank as soon as possible, normally in a ceremony at the next troop meeting. He should be recognized again at the troop's next court of honor.

Boy Scouting has the ranks shown below.  The requirements for each rank are those authorized by the National Executive Board and set forth in the Boy Scout Handbook and the current Boy Scout Requirements book.

Click here for further details on Rank Advancement

Merit Badges and Other Boy Scouting Awards

Contact your local District Scout office (link to Districts), visit the National BSA site or you may also find useful information at *U.S. Scouting Service Project.  (*Please note that this website is not affiliated with the BSA and does not speak on behalf of the BSA.)

When a badge and certificate are awarded to a Boy Scout to recognize that he has achieved a rank, they represent that a young man has:

• Been an active participant in his Troop and Patrol
• Demonstrated living the Scout Oath (Promise) and Scout Law in his daily life
• Met the other requirements and/or earned the merit badges for the rank
• Participated in a Scoutmaster conference
• Sasisfactorily appeared before a Board of Review

In the advanced ranks (Star, Life, Eagle) the badge represents that the young man has also:

• Served in a position of responsibility
• Performed service to others