Scout Advancement
The biggest reward of scouting comes from the fun you will have and the skills you will learn. But you can also receive more concrete recognition of your accomplishments, including rank awards and merit badges.
Ranks
In scouting there are seven ranks.
Scout Rank covers basic information you need to know to be a good scout such as the the Oath, Law, Motto, and Slogan.
Tenderfoot
Second Class
First Class
These ranks cover skills in camping, hiking, cooking, first aid, nature, fitness, aquatics, citizenship and leadership. According to the handbook, it will likely take a year to 18 months to work through these ranks.
The following ranks will focus more on community service, leadership, and merit badges. Each will take longer to complete than previous ranks.
Star requirements include being an active First Class Scout for 4 months, earning 6 merit badges (4 from the required Eagle list), participate in 6 hours of community service, and serve in a position of responsibility in the troop for 4 months.
Life requirements include earning an additional 5 merit badges (including 3 required for Eagle), 6 hours of community service, and 3 hours of conservation in addition to being active as a Star Scout and serving a position of responsibility in the troop for 6 months.
Eagle is Scouting's highest rank and requires 21 merit badges, serving in a position of responsibility and being active as a Life scout in the troop for 6 months, and completing an Eagle scout community project according to the BSA guidelines.
Merit Badges
Merit badges are awarded to Scouts who put special emphasis on learning specific topics. There are 135 merit badges to choose from covering topics from camping and first aid to robotics and game design.
