Scout through Life Ranks

You advance through the ranks from Scout through Life by completing the requirements for each rank, as specified in your Boy Scout Handbook. Completion of each requirement is indicated by having it signed off in your Scout Handbook. Once all the requirements for a rank are signed off you have a Scoutmaster Conference, and then a Board of Review. It is the individual Scout’s responsibility to request requirements be signed off, request a Scoutmaster Conference, and request a Board of Review.

Signing off on requirements

As you complete the requirements for Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class, ask your patrol leader or another Scout of First Class rank or above, to sign and date the Scout Handbook. (Usually it will be your Patrol Leader or Troop Guide) The person signing must both understand the requirement and have personally witnessed your accomplishment.
The requirement for demonstrating Scout Spirit can only be signed off by the Scoutmaster. (He'll only sign if he believes you have demonstrated Scout Spirit, including that you live by the Scout Oath and Scout Law.) He'll do this during your Scoutmaster Conference.
Your parent cannot sign off on any requirement.
Items must be dated and initialed legibly in your Scout handbook by the person who is signing off.

Scoutmaster Conference

When all requirements for a rank are completed (other than Scout Sprit, Scoutmaster Conference, and Board of Review) you must bring your Scout Handbook to the Advancement Chairman, who will review your handbook and give you an Advancement report authorizing a Scoutmaster Conference.
You then contact the Scoutmaster to arrange a time for a Scoutmaster Conference. It will be scheduled at his convenience. (These are usually during the monthly outing or activity) Please provide at least one week’s notice for scheduling the Scoutmaster Conference.
You must wear your complete and correct Class A uniform to the Scoutmaster Conference! Come to the Scoutmaster conference with your Scout Handbook and any other materials that you may need to demonstrate you have mastered the required skills, such as a map, compass, rope, etc. If the entire troop is allowed to be wearing Class B uniforms, that will also be acceptable for the Conference.
As you progress through the ranks, you should be prepared to demonstrate or discuss any and all prior rank requirements with your Scoutmaster, showing your continued proficiency in your Scout skills.
If the Scoutmaster believes you have met the requirements, he will sign off in your Scout Handbook for the Scout Spirit and Scoutmaster Conference requirements, and will initial and date the Advancement report.

Board of Review

Once you have passed your Scoutmaster Conference, take the Advancement report back to the Advancement Chairman, who will work with you to schedule a Board of Review. (Tenderfoot though Life only – a Board of Review is not needed to achieve the rank of Scout). Boards of Review are typically held before or after a Monday Troop meeting, and can be held at a campout.
Wear your complete and correct Class A uniform to the board of review.
A Board of Review is a meeting with a group of at least three members of the Troop Committee. (The Troop Committee is a subset of the adult leaders.) Your Review is an opportunity for you and the Troop Committee to discuss your advancement progress, your plans and goals, any issues you have with the Troop and its members, any suggestions you have for improvements. It provides a way for you to influence the direction of the Troop outside of the normal Patrol and Troop environment.
If the adult members of the Board of Review believe you merit advancement, they will initial your Scout Handbook and the Advancement report. You've completed your Rank advancement!
Take the Advancement report back to the Advancement Chairman, who will update the Troop's advancement records and arrange the awarding of your rank insignia.

Eagle Rank

In addition to the policies of Troop 787, advancement procedures for Eagle are set by the District, Council, and Boy Scout National Office. The details of these procedures change occasionally, so they're not described here.

Once you've earned Life rank you should talk to the adult Eagle Advisor in our Troop, who can explain the current Eagle advancement procedures, as well as serve as a guide through the last steps to Eagle rank.

Merit Badges

Beginning work on a badge

Normally, before beginning work on a merit badge your must:

Get a three-part merit badge card ("blue card") and fill out your personal information and the name of the badge you want to earn. You can get them from the Advancement Chairman.
Fill in your name and the name of the badge you want to earn on the card.
Have the Scoutmaster sign where indicated for "Unit Leader". To start on a merit badge, your blue card must first be signed by the Scoutmaster.
Once approval is given by the Scoutmaster, contact the adult Merit Badge Coordinator to obtain the name of an officially registered Merit Badge Counselor for the badge. A Counselor list will be posted on the Troop cart. The Counselor working with a Scout cannot be changed once work is started on the merit badge, except with permission from the Scoutmaster or Advancement Chairman. All merit badge Counselors must be approved by the Troop Committee and registered with BSA.
Talk to the Counselor so that you understand what they will want to see as proof that you have completed the requirements of the badge.
The blue card will be used by you and the Counselor to track your progress in completing the requirements for the merit badge.

Beginning Work at Summer or Winter Camp

The procedure is different for starting on badges at our week-long Summer and Winter camps.

The camps offer formal Merit Badge classes. You sign up for and attend merit badge classes, most often without a blue card.
At the end of the week the camp provide forms to the Troop which documents the badge requirements that you completed in class.
If you completed all requirements for a badge at camp, the Coordinator will also sign off as the Merit Badge Counselor, referencing the camp or location you worked on the merit badge, and turn the information in to the Advancement Chairman to record.
If you completed part of the requirements, the Troop 787 Merit Badge Coordinator will transfer this information to blue cards and give them to you. (You'll usually get them at the next regular Troop meeting.)
You must complete the blue card by filling out your personal information and obtaining the Scoutmaster's signature as "Unit Leader".
You will need to contact the Merit Badge Coordinator to locate a counselor to work with you on the remaining requirements. It is your responsibility to finish merit badges done at summer camps while at camp. If not; you must find a counselor at home to work with to finish the badge.

Completing a Badge

Once you have completed all the requirements for a badge to their satisfaction, the Merit Badge Counselor will sign the blue card in two places and tear off one piece for their records.
You must then present the blue card to the Scoutmaster to sign.
Then bring the blue card, along with your Scout Handbook, to the Advancement Chairman to record the completed badge and arrange for it to be awarded to you at the next Court of Honor.
It is very important to keep the "Applicant's Record" portion of the blue card in a safe place! Occasionally a question will come up about when a Scout earned a specific badge. (This can happen when your Eagle application is being reviewed.) Many Scouts keep all of their advancement records in plastic pocket pages in a zippered binder.