Trail to First Class

Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class are the learning ranks. This is where Scouts learn the basics: cooking, first aid, knots and lashings, camping and more. The First-Year Program is built to carry an active Scout through all three in about a year.

How requirements get signed off

1. The Scout learns a skill, at camp, at a meeting or on an outing.
2. A Troop Guide (in the first year) or a Patrol Leader (in the main Troop) tests the Scout. Troop Instructors who teach a specific subject can also test, and an adult leader can step in when a Patrol Leader is not available or for something like the swim test.
3. The Scout talks to their Patrol Advisor, the adult leader assigned to their patrol (look yours up in the Patrol tab of the roster app), who reviews the sign-offs. The requirement is then recorded in Scoutbook, which is the Troop's record.
4. Once every requirement for the rank is done, the Scout holds a Scoutmaster Conference and then goes before a Board of Review.
5. The badge is presented at the next Court of Honor.

The Patrol Advisor may spot-check a sign-off, but does not repeat the testing.

For the requirements themselves, see the ranks and requirements section of Advancement.