How a Scouts BSA rank is earned
Learn, be tested, be reviewed, be recognized, with the sign-off rules that govern the second step and the branch at the third, where the Scout rank has no board of review.
14 steps (17 parts inside them). 7 steps and parts depend on questions you have not answered yet. · Version 1, published 9 August 2026 · About Mechanics of Advancement in Scouts BSA
No questions answered
This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering the question at the address above takes out the parts that are not for you.
Which of this applies to you
You have not answered anything yet, so this is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody. Answering one question will take out the parts that are not for you.
The steps
Stage 1 of 12
1 step
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4.2.0.0. A Scout works toward the next rank Milestone
A registered Scout in a troop, or a Lone Scout, or a qualified Venturer or Sea Scout continuing with Scouts BSA advancement. Everything below applies the same way to all of them; read troop as crew or ship where it applies.
Stage 2 of 12
2 steps
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4.2.0.0. Both adult leaders and youth leaders approve advancement Requirement
Advancement in Scouts BSA is approved by youth as well as adults. The Guide gives the reason rather than leaving it as a rule: it places more weight on teaching and testing, and Scouts learn on both sides of the exchange as they take turns being teacher and student.
Usually comes after 4.2.0.0. A Scout works toward the next rank.
1 part
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4.2.0.0. Parents and guardians do not sign for rank requirements Often forgotten The exception is narrower than it is usually remembered. A parent may sign only if they are a registered leader AND the unit leader has authorized them to approve advancement, or if they are a Lone Scout friend and counselor. Being registered is not by itself enough, and being present at the campout is not enough at all. Even where a parent qualifies, the Guide prefers somebody other than the Scout's own parent to certify their accomplishments.
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4.2.0.1. Seven ranks, earned in sequence whatever age the Scout joined Requirement
There are seven ranks in Scouts BSA and they are earned in order: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, Eagle. Joining at 15 does not let a Scout start further along.
Usually comes after 4.2.0.0. A Scout works toward the next rank.
2 parts
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4.2.0.1. Star, Life and Eagle work counts only after the previous board of review May not apply Often forgotten This is where partially completed work gets lost. A Scout who does three months of a position of responsibility before the Star board of review has done three months toward nothing: the clock for Life starts at that board. Merit badges are the one exception and may be earned at any time, which is why a Scout waiting on a board can usefully be working on badges.
Stage 3 of 12
1 step
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4.2.0.1. Requirements are passed as written Often forgotten Requirement
If a requirement says show, demonstrate or discuss, then that is what the Scout does. The Guide gives the example itself: filling out a worksheet would not suffice.
The Guide chooses its own example carefully: filling out a worksheet does not satisfy a requirement that says show, demonstrate or discuss. Worksheets are aids for the Scout, not evidence for the tester, and 7.0.4.8 says the same thing about merit badge worksheets.
Stage 4 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.0. The four steps in advancement Milestone
The Guide sets out advancement as four steps or stages, and says advancement is a straightforward matter when they are observed and integrated into troop programming. They are the four items that follow.
Stage 5 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.1. Step one, the Scout learns Task
A Scout grows in the ability to contribute to the patrol and troop by learning. Nothing is approved at this stage and nothing is recorded; it is the part of advancement that looks least like advancement.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.0. The four steps in advancement.
1 part
Stage 6 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.2. Step two. The Scout is tested Approval
Somebody authorized to do so tests the Scout on the requirement and passes them on it. Who that somebody may be is the substance of this step and is set out below.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.1. Step one, the Scout learns.
5 parts
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4.2.1.2. Who may NOT test or pass, however senior Often forgotten The most common breach in a well-meaning troop. A committee member with forty years of camping experience may not test or pass a Scout on a rank requirement, and no unit leader has the authority to let them: it is the position that is excluded, not the person's competence. The named positions are committee members, committee chairs, unit scouter reserves and college scouter reserves.
Stage 7 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.5. The requirement is signed off Milestone
The moment the requirement is met. Everything below is about what that moment settles and what it does not.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.2. Step two. The Scout is tested.
Stage 8 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.5. A signed-off requirement has been met and CANNOT be rescinded Often forgotten Requirement
Once a Scout has been tested and signed off by someone approved to do so, the requirement has been met and cannot be rescinded. Not by a later unit leader, not by a board of review, not by the person who signed it.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.5. The requirement is signed off.
The 2025 edition added the words "and cannot be rescinded" to this sentence, and lists the addition among its significant changes at 1.0.3.0. If your copy of the rule stops at "the requirement has been met", it is the earlier edition.
Stage 9 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.3. All the requirements for the rank are complete Milestone
Every requirement signed off. What happens next depends on which rank it is, and there is exactly one rank where the answer is different.
Stage 10 of 12
2 steps
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4.2.1.3. Step three. The Scout is reviewed May not apply Event
After completing all the requirements for a rank, the Scout meets with a board of review. The board is a plan of its own; what this step records is that it happens here, between completion and recognition.
You have not answered "Which rank is the Scout working toward?" yet.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.3. All the requirements for the rank are complete.
3 parts
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4.2.1.3. Promptly, and not delayed for reasons unrelated to the requirements May not apply Often forgotten Promptly means promptly. A board must not be delayed for reasons unrelated to rank requirements: an unpaid subscription, a missing uniform part, a troop's preference for holding all boards at one sitting each quarter. 8.0.0.2 goes further and says a board must be granted when the requirements are met.
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4.2.1.3. Members of the unit committee conduct it May not apply
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4.2.1.3. The Scout rank has no board of review May not apply Requirement
The Guide excepts the Scout rank by name: a Scout meets with a board of review after completing all the requirements for a rank, except Scout rank. It is earned and then recognized, with nothing in between.
You have not answered "Which rank is the Scout working toward?" yet.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.3. All the requirements for the rank are complete.
Stage 11 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.4. Step four. The Scout is recognized Milestone
When a Scout has earned the Scout rank, or when a board of review has approved advancement, the Scout deserves recognition as soon as possible. This is a step of advancement rather than a courtesy that follows it.
Usually comes after 4.2.1.3. Step three. The Scout is reviewed and 4.2.1.3. The Scout rank has no board of review.
Stage 12 of 12
1 step
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4.2.1.5. After the Scout is tested and recognized Recommended Task
A well-organized unit program helps the Scout practice newly learned skills in different settings: at unit meetings, on activities and outings, by teaching other Scouts, in games and while leading projects.
1 part
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4.2.1.5. Repetition is how retention is achieved Recommended
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This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.