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Read all eight requirements before you begin
Required Often forgotten
On this badge more than any other. Requirements 5 and 7 measure each other, and the first measurement has to be taken before the work starts.
Notes and warnings
Warning. Read all eight requirements before you begin. Requirement 7(b) asks you to show improvement over the results you recorded in requirement 5(a), and a pre-assessment cannot be taken retrospectively. A Scout who trains for three months first has done the exercise and not the badge.
Note. Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies.
Where this step comes from
- Guide to Advancement (2025), Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies.
- Personal Fitness Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-12-31) · The page these requirements were read from.