Requirement
1. The bracket around the whole badge
Required Often forgotten
Two parts that cannot be done together. The first is twenty minutes at the beginning; the second is explicitly gated on requirements 2 through 8 being finished, which makes it the last thing on the badge.
Notes and warnings
Warning. THIS REQUIREMENT CANNOT BE TICKED OFF IN ONE SITTING, AND IT IS THE ONLY ONE ON THE BADGE LIKE THAT. Part (a) is twenty minutes at the beginning. Part (b) opens "After you have completed requirements 2 through 8", so it is the last thing you will do on this badge, not part of the first thing. Requirement 1 is a bracket around the whole badge rather than a short opening step, and a Scout who does both parts in week one and marks requirement 1 complete has not met part (b) at all.
What this is made of
Where this step comes from
- Energy Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-15), Requirement 1