The Eagle Scout Award marks the pinnacle of achievement in Scouts BSA, but it’s not the last thing many Eagle Scouts achieve in the program. Eagle Palms, introduced way back in 1927, give Scouts something else to earn — and another good reason to stay involved in the program.
One of the first merit badges to be offered by the Boy Scouts of America, the first aid. Merit badges, badges of rank, and Eagle Palms may be earned by a registered Boy Scout, or a qualified Venturer or Sea Scout. He may earn these awards until his 18th birthday. Any Venturer or Sea Scout who achieved the First Class rank as a Boy Scout in a troop or as a Lone Scout may continue working toward the Star, Life, and Eagle Scout ranks.
WHAT IS AN EAGLE SCOUT PALM? A Palm is an additional recognition an Eagle Scout can earn. For each Palm, the Scout must: 1) be active in Scouting for three months after becoming an Eagle Scout (or after earning the last Palm), 2) continue to live by the values of Scouting, 3) set an example by accepting responsibility or showing leadership, 4) earn five merit badges beyond those required for Eagle (or for the previous Palm) and 5) complete a Scoutmaster conference (or Advisor or Skipper conference).
IS A BOARD OF REVIEW REQUIRED? No. That requirement was dropped in 2017.
DO THE MERIT BADGES HAVE TO BE EARNED AS AN EAGLE SCOUT? No. Any badges the Scout earned since joining count (as is the case with rank requirements).
ARE PALMS CONSIDERED RANKS? No. They are degrees of the Eagle Scout rank.
WHAT DO THE DIFFERENT COLORS MEAN? Bronze, Gold and Silver Palms are awarded. The first Palm a Scout earns is bronze, representing five merit badges. He or she can then go on to earn a Gold Palm, representing 10 additional merit badges, and a Silver Palm, representing 15 additional merit badges. After that, the Scout would continue the cycle by earning another Bronze Palm.
WHAT WOULD A SCOUT WHO HAS EARNED FOUR PALMS WEAR? He or she would wear a Silver Palm (15 merit badges) plus a Bronze Palm (five merit badges).
WHY IS SILVER HIGHER THAN GOLD? The colors are based on U.S. military traditions.
HOW MANY PALMS CAN A SCOUT EARN? A Scout who reaches the Eagle rank at age 12½ could conceivably earn seven Silver Palms and one Bronze Palm, representing 110 additional merit badges.
Eagle Scout Merit Badge Worksheets
WHERE ARE PALMS WORN? Palms may be worn on the cloth ribbon on the Eagle medal, on the Eagle Scout rank emblem worn by Scouts and on the Eagle Scout square knot worn by adults.
Eagle Required Merit Badges 2018
WHAT IF A SCOUT EARNED, SAY, 31 MERIT BADGES BEFORE BECOMING AN EAGLE SCOUT? New Eagle Scouts can receive, along with the Eagle medal, Palms that equate to the number of additional merit badges they earned before the Eagle board of review (not before the Eagle court of honor). So a new Eagle Scout who has 31 merit badges would be eligible to receive a Gold Palm, representing 10 badges beyond the 21 required for the rank. That Gold Palm could be presented at the Eagle court of honor.
WHAT ABOUT A SCOUT WHO TURNS 18 RIGHT BEFORE BECOMING AN EAGLE SCOUT? The same rule applies.
It’s no secret, some Eagle-required merit badges are harder to earn than others. If you’re interested in difficulty rankings and recommendations of when to complete each Eagle-required merit badge, you’re in the right place!
Some Eagle-required badges are typically completed during troop activities or classes, which is something I took into account when rating their difficulty. The higher the ranking, the more work outside of Scouting you’ll likely need to do to complete the badge. However, just because a badge is difficult, doesn’t mean it won’t also be fun.
Further down in this article, you can also read my descriptions of each badge, the reasoning behind my difficulty rating, as well as find a link to many of the Eagle-required merit badge’s full guides to completing the worksheet knowledge requirements. 🙂
Without further ado, the 13 merit badges needed to reach the rank of Eagle Scout and their difficulty ratings are:
- First Aid: 4
- Citizenship in the Community: 8
- Citizenship in the Nation: 6
- Citizenship in the World: 5
- Communication: 8
- Cooking: 7
- Personal Fitness: 7
- Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving: 5, 6
- Environmental Science or Sustainability: 8, 9
- Personal Management: 8
- Swimming or Hiking or Cycling: 4, 8, and 9
- Camping: 6
- Family Life: 6
You might also be wondering if there’s an ideal order for scouts to complete their Eagle-required merit badges.There is! As an Eagle Scout who’s earned every badge listed other than Sustainability and Cycling, I’d strongly recommend completing the badges in a specific order.
I’ll be grouping all 13 Eagle-required badges into 3 categories: Badges that should be completed by younger scouts (Under 15), badges that should be completed by scouts around the age of 15, and badges that are best suited for older scouts (Aged 15+).
Read through this article, and I guarantee you’ll be prepared to earn each of these merit badges and become an Eagle Scout!
Best Eagle-Required Merit Badges For Younger Scouts (Under 15)
Tip: Click the underlined badge name to check out my ultimate guides, aimed at helping you answer the knowledge requirements to each merit badge worksheet!
(More Articles Coming Soon)First Aid
Eagle Required Merit Badges 2019
Overview: The First Aid merit badge teaches scouts the skills necessary to provide assistance, should they witness a medical emergency. First aid is typically one of the first Eagle-required badges most scouts earn, and for good reason. Having a detailed knowledge of first aid will make future activities in Scouting much safer!
Overall Difficulty: 4.
The First Aid badge can usually be completed during troop or Summer camp classes. Although First Aid has a total of 14 requirements, most of these are knowledge-based and require minimal research.
Hardest Requirement: You’ll need to demonstrate proper CPR technique on a training device to complete requirement 7 and earn the First Aid merit badge. This can typically only be done during an official CPR certification course.
Swimming or Hiking or Cycling
Overview: Earning any of these badges will undoubtedly test your physical fitness and endurance. The reason why they’re best for younger scouts though is that they’re typically done as troop activities. Swimming will likely be the easiest badge to earn, as it is often offered as a class during longer summer camps.
Overall Difficulty: 4, 8, and 9, respectively.
Don’t think they’ll be a simple walk in the park just because these badges are done as troop activities. Hiking and Cycling are no joke, and you’ll need decent swimming skills to earn the Swimming merit badge. You can click here to see a full comparison between earning either Swimming, Hiking, or Cycling.
Hardest Requirement: Requirement 3 for the Swimming merit badge has you demonstrating various strokes for 150 yards. However, if you’re able to swim this won’t be too difficult. The hardest requirement for Hiking will be to complete a 20 mile hike. For Cycling, you’ll need to complete a 50 mile bike ride. Yikes!
Cooking
(PS: If you don’t have these 3 outdoor cooking tool picks — You’re missing out)
Overview: After you’ve gained some experience camping, it’ll be a good idea to earn your Cooking merit badge. Cooking teaches you proper nutrition, food storage, and culinary safety skills — along with how to cook a camp menu, of course. Cooking is often the first Eagle-required merit badge that scouts earn by themselves, without the help of troop classes or events.
Overall Difficulty: 7.
To earn the Cooking merit badge, you’ll need to make a number of meals in a variety of situations. You also must learn and understand the answers to many food-safety knowledge requirements. If you’ve camped often though, the meals for this badge are pretty easy to complete.
Hardest Requirement: The Cooking merit badge’s requirement 5 has you making three camp meals for your patrol or a group up to 8 people. You’ll need to make the third meal using either a Dutch oven, a foil pack, or skewers. Hope you’re as hungry to earn the Cooking badge as they are for dinner!
Camping
Overview: A good mix of activities and knowledge requirements, the Camping merit badge will teach scouts outdoor ethics, camp safety, and proper trek planning. If you can earn the camping badge, that typically means that you’ve reached an advanced level in Scouting.
Overall Difficulty: 6.
If you’ve been in Scouting for at least a year and a half, you’ve probably attended enough camps to finish the most difficult part of the Camping merit badge. After that, earning this badge will be all about gaining more camping knowledge and experience.
Hardest Requirement: You’re required to camp a total of 20 nights to complete requirement 9 of the camping merit badge. You’ll also need to participate in some camping experiences of your choice, such as rappelling or snowshoeing. This should be pretty easy if you’ve been in Scouting for a while.
Best Eagle-Required Merit Badges To Earn Around Age 15
Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
Overview: When given the option to earn either Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, most scouts earn Emergency Preparedness, as EPrep can be completed individually and teaches the skills necessary to prevent and respond to different types of crises.
Most Lifesaving requirements must be completed in a pool with qualified lifeguard supervision. In earning Lifesaving, a scout will learn how to handle different types of aquatic emergencies.
If you’re deciding on which badge to earn, you can check out my article weighing the pros and cons of earning Emergency Preparedness vs Lifesaving, byclicking here.
Overall Difficulty: 5 and 6.
EPrep mainly consists of straightforward knowledge requirements but requires a scout to earn their First Aid merit badge beforehand. For Lifesaving, a scout must demonstrate various swimming and rescue techniques in the water. Be warned, Lifesaving is more difficult to earn than the Swimming merit badge
Hardest Requirement For Emergency Preparedness: To complete requirement 1 of Emergency Preparedness, you’ll first need to earn the First Aid merit badge. Additionally, you’ll also need to take part in an emergency service project with your Scouting unit or a community agency to complete requirement 7.
Hardest Requirement For Lifesaving: Requirement 1 of the Lifesaving badge requires you to swim continuously for 400 yards while demonstrating various strokes. Outside of this, you’ll also need to show confidence in the water by completing various aquatic rescue exercises.
Citizenship in the Community
Overview:If you’ve reached the middle of your Scouting career, it’s about time you earn the Citizenship merit badges. Citizenship in the Community will help scouts to understand their government on a local level, as well as identify ways to support organizations benefiting their community.
Overall Difficulty: 8.
Often considered the most difficult citizenship merit badge to complete, Citizenship in the Community mainly requires scouts to complete projects, volunteer in their community, and understand various knowledge requirements.
Hardest Requirement: To complete requirement 7, you’ll need to volunteer with an organization helping your community for a total of eight hours. You’ll also have to attend other local events and develop a presentation to showcase unique aspects of your community.
Citizenship in the Nation
Overview: The Citizenship in the Nation merit badge teaches scouts about the rights and responsibilities of US citizens. In completing this badge, scouts will also learn about the history and present-day function of the American government on a national level.
Overall Difficulty: 6.
Citizenship in the Nation mainly requires you to learn and understand our government’s basic functions, and should not be too difficult to complete. However, you’ll also need to work on a few projects such as touring a national facility and writing a letter to an elected official.
I recommend scouts complete the Citizenship badges around the age of 15 as, at that point, they’ll have likely taken classes in school, such as world history and civics, that would give them a good background to earn these types of badges.
Hardest Requirement: Requirement 8 is probably the most difficult part of the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge, as it requires you to write a letter to one of your district’s elected officials. Later, you’ll also need to discuss any response you receive with your counselor.
Citizenship in the World
Overview: Citizenship in the World will teach scouts about the various organizations that help to uphold international law. Scouts will also learn about various cultures and global events, hopefully becoming more open-minded and accepting of all people in our world.
Overall Difficulty: 5.
Citizenship in the World is often considered the most straightforward Citizenship merit badge and will mainly test your ability to answer knowledge requirements. In fact, the entire badge can be researched and completed in one sitting if you’re dedicated enough.
If you still haven’t earned Citizenship in the World and are looking to easily earn an Eagle-required badge, I’d highly recommend you check out my complete guide, here.
Hardest Requirement: To complete Citizenship in the World requirement 3, you’ll need to research a current world issue along with the various countries involved. This will take a decent understanding of geography and politics, which is why I recommend this badge for scouts who have already taken world history and geography classes.
Environmental Science or Sustainability
Overview: Both the Sustainability and Environmental Science merit badges will teach you important skills about how to conserve resources and protect the natural ecosystem. However, while Sustainability deals more with reducing waste in your household, Environmental Science will teach you about the science behind the way that humans interact with nature.
If you’re deciding on which badge to earn, check out my full comparison of the Environmental Science vs Sustainability merit badge byclicking here.
Overall Difficulty: 8 and 9.
Both Environmental Science and Sustainability are tricky badges that are usually worked on individually. For either choice, you’ll have a balanced mix of experiments and knowledge requirements to complete. Through your experiments, you’ll develop a thorough understanding of how your actions impact the environment.
Hardest Requirement For Environmental Science: Requirement 3 of the Environmental Science merit badge will give you the option to either conduct experiments or write reports. Requirement 4 will have you carry out an experiment by observing a plot of land. Both of these tasks are tricky and will take a minimum of one week to complete.
Hardest Requirement For Sustainability: Requirement 2 of the Sustainability merit badge will be tough. You’ll need to make various plans to implement sustainability into your household by reducing your food, water, and energy waste. At a minimum, this one requirement will take at least a month to carry out and complete.
Best Eagle-Required Merit Badges For Older Scouts (Over 15)
A quick note, I’ve saved these badges for older scouts because they’re typically done individually and deal with topics that are more complex and ‘adult’. You earn merit badges to learn life skills, so to get the most out of Scouting, I’d highly recommend you wait until you’re 15 before starting any of the following badges.
Family Life
Overview: The Family Life merit badge teaches scouts the importance of cooperation within a household, as well as some key skills necessary to one day start their own families. This badge is best suited for older scouts who face greater responsibilities in and outside of their households.
Overall Difficulty: 6.
While the requirements for Family Life aren’t too difficult, you’ll still need to be on top of things to successfully complete this badge. In addition to discussing various topics with your parents, you’re also be tracking your home duties, creating a project for your household, and hosting a family meeting.
Hardest Requirement: For most scouts earning the Family Life merit badge, requirement 3 will be the most difficult. Requirement 3 has you track and complete at least five regular chores over the course of at least 90 days. By staying on top of your schedule, you’ll develop organizational skills and ensure your plans succeed.
Personal Fitness
Overview: Personal Fitness is a time-consuming merit badge, but will be much easier if you participate in any school sports. In earning Personal Fitness, you’ll learn the proper way to care for your body, choose nutritious foods, and remain healthy. You’ll also create and follow a regular exercise plan.
Overall Difficulty: 7.
Since most of the personal fitness requirements are about you, this merit badge usually isn’t too difficult for most scouts to earn. The hardest part will be to create and follow a fitness routine for three months. However, if you’re taking a PE class, this requirement becomes much easier to complete.
Hardest Requirement: Requirements 7 and 8 ask you to outline a physical fitness program to follow over the span of 12 weeks. You’ll need to keep a regular log of your activities and results, showing improvement in various fitness categories.
Personal Management
Overview: The Personal Management merit badge will equip scouts with the skills to manage their finances as young adults. To earn this badge, you’ll need to track your budget for three months, as well as identify the answers to various knowledge requirements. Personal Management is one of the most useful merit badges and has many real-world applications.
Overall Difficulty: 8.
It’ll take effort and perseverance to complete the Personal Management merit badge. Requiring a thorough understanding of various financial terms, as well as the completion of a few projects, Personal Management is easily one of the most difficult Eagle-required merit badges.
Hardest Requirement: Requirement 2 asks you to create a budget and track your expenses for a period of 13 consecutive weeks. Outside of that, you’ll need to do hours of research to complete the financial knowledge requirements.
Luckily, I put a ton of work into creating a complete guide to the Personal Management merit badge. Check it out by clicking here.
Communication
Overview: The Communication merit badge will teach scouts to structure their thoughts and speak articulately. To complete this badge, scouts must investigate the communications styles of themselves and others, ultimately using these skills to host an event and present on behalf of their troop.
Overall Difficulty: 8.
Communication is often one of the last merit badges that Eagle Scouts earn, and for good reason. It’s tough! Between giving presentations, conducting interviews, and creating written content, Communication is likely one of the most difficult merit badges a scout can earn.
Hardest Requirement: Communication doesn’t have just one hard requirement — they’re all difficult and require hands-on effort. Requirements 2-8 will have you scripting and planning events, attending local meetings, and presenting on multiple occasions. Good luck!
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’re now prepared to go out and earn every one of these badges! The site is a work in progress, so I’ll be working on finishing the rest of the Eagle-required merit badge guides in the next few months.
Do you have your next Eagle-required merit badges in mind now? You should! The difficulty ratings I’ve included come from the experiences I’ve had in Scouting, as well as from the input of other scouts online. Hopefully, now it’ll help you out too! 🙂
I also upload leadership content, as well as advice for older scouts who are either trying to get into college or land a job. You can check out some of those articles by clicking the previous links.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you here again soon. As always, best of luck in your Scouting journey!
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