Scout Rank

Join a troop. The rank starts there Milestone

Every requirement for this rank has to be completed as a registered member of a Scouts BSA troop. A Webelos Scout who has already done this work demonstrates it to the Scoutmaster after joining rather than repeating it.

Every requirement for this rank must be completed as a member of a troop. Work done before joining does not count towards the rank. The one exception is printed on the sheet: a Scout who completed these requirements as part of the Webelos Scouting Adventure demonstrates the knowledge or skill to the Scoutmaster or another designated leader after joining, rather than doing it again.

Work to the requirements in force when you start Document

Rank requirements are republished yearly. A Scout beginning work on the next rank uses the requirements as they stand then.

Rank requirements are republished yearly. Guide to Advancement 4.0.0.1 states that once a new or revised requirement appears on the program web page, a Scout beginning work on the next rank uses it as stated there. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.

1. Learn what a Scout says, and what it means Requirement

Six pieces of it, and every one asks you to explain as well as recite. They need no daylight, no gear and no campout, which makes them the part of this rank you can work on anywhere.

Usually comes after Work to the requirements in force when you start.

1a. The Scout Oath, Law, motto and slogan Task

From memory, and then in your own words what they mean.

1b. What Scout spirit is, and how you have shown it Task

Explaining it is the easy half. The other half is describing where you have actually lived it.

1c. The sign, the salute and the handshake Task

Demonstrate all three, and explain when each is used.

1d. The First Class Scout badge, part by part Task

What each part stands for, and what the badge as a whole signifies.

1e. The Outdoor Code and the seven Leave No Trace principles Often forgotten Task

The Outdoor Code from memory, the seven principles listed, and (the part that gets missed) the difference between the two.

1f. The Pledge of Allegiance Task

From memory, and in your own words what it means.

2. Go to a troop meeting first, then learn how a troop works Requirement

The four parts of this requirement come after attending at least one troop meeting. Sitting through one is the point: the answers are easier to give once you have watched it happen.

2a. How the Scouts in the troop lead it Task

Youth leadership, described from what you saw rather than from a chart.

2b. The four steps of Scout advancement Task

A Scout learns, is tested, is reviewed, is recognised. Guide to Advancement 4.2.1.1 to 4.2.1.4 sets out each one.

2c. What the ranks are and how they are earned Task

The ladder you have just stepped onto, and what moving up it takes.

2d. What merit badges are and how they are earned Task

Including the counselor and the blue card, which is a process of its own and has its own page here.

3. The patrol method, and your own patrol Requirement

Two parts, and both are about the patrol you are actually in rather than patrols in general.

3a. Explain the patrol method Task

And describe the kinds of patrol your troop uses.

3b. Your patrol's name, emblem, flag and yell Task

Become familiar with all four, and explain how they build patrol spirit.

4. Three knots, and how to look after a rope Requirement

The first practical skill on the ladder. Tenderfoot then asks you to use these same three knots for something real.

4a. Square knot, two half-hitches, taut-line hitch Task

Show each one, and explain what each is for. Tenderfoot requirements 3a, 3b and 3c come back to all three and ask for a practical use.

4b. Whipping and fusing a rope's ends Task

Proper care of a rope, on more than one kind of rope.

5. Using a pocketknife safely and responsibly Task

Tell what you need to know. Second Class requirement 2b then has you use one to prepare tinder and kindling for a fire.

6. Personal safety, with your parent or guardian Often forgotten Requirement

Both parts are done with a parent or guardian rather than with the troop, and this is the requirement most often left until last because of it.

6a. The pamphlet exercises, with your parent or guardian Often forgotten Task

The exercises in the child abuse pamphlet, completed together. It is bound inside the front cover of the handbook.

6b. The Personal Safety Awareness videos Often forgotten Task

Viewed with your parent or guardian's permission. Where a family has no internet access at home and none readily available elsewhere, the Scoutmaster may waive this part in consultation with the parent or guardian.

7. Scoutmaster conference Often forgotten Milestone

Since joining the troop and while working on this rank. It is the last step of the Scout rank, and Tenderfoot requirement 10 asks for its own conference only after this one is done.

Tenderfoot requirement 10 asks for a Scoutmaster conference AFTER completing Scout rank requirement 7. The two conferences are separate events and the Tenderfoot one cannot be backdated to cover both, which is what makes leaving this requirement late expensive rather than merely untidy.

The rank is earned, and there is no board of review Milestone

The Scout rank is complete when requirement 7, the Scoutmaster conference, is done. Alone among the ranks on this ladder it has no board of review. The next rank's conference must come after this one.

Usually comes after 7. Scoutmaster conference.