Scoutles.com – It’s clear, some Eagle-required merit badges are more challenging to make than others. If you have an interest in difficulty rankings as well as suggestions of when to complete each Eagle-required merit badge, you remain in the best place!
Some Eagle-required badges are commonly completed throughout army tasks or classes, which is something I took into consideration when ranking their difficulty.
The greater the ranking, the more job outside of Scouting you’ll likely require to do to finish the badge. Simply since a badge is tough, doesn’t indicate it won’t also be enjoyable.
Better down in this article, you can additionally read my summaries of each badge, the reasoning behind my difficulty ranking, as well as discover a web link to a lot of the Eagle-required merit badge’s full overviews to completing the worksheet knowledge requirements.
13 Merit Badges needed to reach the rank of Eagle Scout:
- First Aid
- Emergency Preparedness
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Communication
- Personal Fitness
- Environmental Science
- Sustainability
- Personal Management
- Family Life
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Cycling
- Cooking
- Camping
- Lifesaving
If there’s an excellent order for precursors to finish their Eagle-required merit badges, you could also be questioning. There is! As an Eagle Scout who’s made every badge noted besides Sustainability and Cycling, I ‘d strongly recommend finishing the badges in a specific order.
I’ll be grouping all 13 Eagle-required badges into 3 categories: Badges that ought to be finished by younger scouts (Under 15), badges that must be completed by scouts around the age of 15, as well as badges that are best suited for older precursors (Aged 15+).
Eagle-Required Merit Badges For Younger Scouts (Under 15)
For younger scouts under 15, it is suitable to take 4 of the 6 types of the merit badges. Starting from:
- First Aid
- Cooking
- Camping
- Swimming or Hiking or Cycling
1. First Aid
| Overview: The First Aid merit badge educates scouts the skills needed to offer aid, must they witness a clinical emergency situation. Aid is commonly one of the first Eagle-required badges most scouts earn, and for good reason. Having detailed expertise in First Aid will certainly make future activities in Scouting much safer! |
| General Difficulty: 5 The First Aid badge can generally be finished during troop or Summer season camp classes. First Aid has a total of 14 requirements, many of these are knowledge-based and also call for a minimum research study. |
| Hardest Requirement: You’ll need to demonstrate an appropriate CPR technique on a training device to finish requirement 7 as well as make the First Aid merit badge. This can usually just be done during an official CPR accreditation program. |
2. Camping
| Overview: A great mix of activities, as well as understanding requirements, the Camping merit badge, will show scouts outdoor ethics, camp safety, and also proper expedition planning. That typically indicates that you have actually reached an innovative degree in Scouting if you can make the camping badge. |
| Overall Difficulty: 6 You’ve probably attended sufficient camps to finish the most difficult part of the Camping merit badge if you’ve been in Scouting for at the very least a fifty percent and also a year. After that, gaining this badge will certainly be all about acquiring more camping expertise and experience. |
| Hardest Requirement: You’re required to camp a total of 20 nights to complete need 9 of the camping merit badge. You’ll additionally need to join some camping experiences of your selection, such as rappelling or snowshoeing. If you have actually been in Scouting for a while, this should be rather very easy. |
3. Cooking
| Overview: After you have actually obtained some experience camping, it’ll be a good concept to make your Cooking merit badge. Cooking educates you on correct nourishment, food storage, and also culinary security skills, in addition to just how to cook a camp menu, of course. Cooking is often the initial Eagle-required merit badge that looks earn by themselves, without the help of army classes or events. |
| Total Difficulty: 5 To earn the Cooking merit badge, you’ll need to make a variety of dishes in a variety of situations. You also should learn and also understand the solution to lots of food-safety expertise requirements. If you’ve camped typically however, the meals and this badge are rather simple to complete. |
| Hardest Requirement: The Cooking merit badge’s requirement 5 has you making 3 camp meals for your patrol or a group of approximately 8 individuals. You’ll need to make the 3rd meal using either a Dutch oven, an aluminum foil pack, or skewers. I hope you’re as starving to gain the Cooking badge as they are for supper! |
4. Swimming or Hiking or Cycling
| Overview: Gaining any one of these badges will certainly test your physical fitness and endurance. The reason they’re ideal for more youthful scouts though is that they’re normally done as troop activities. Swimming will likely be the easiest badge to make, as it is typically offered as a class during longer summer season camps. |
| Overall Difficulty: 5, 8, and 9 Do not assume they’ll be a simple walk in the park just because these badges are done as troop tasks. Hiking and also Cycling is no joke, and you’ll need good swimming skills to make the Swimming merit badge. |
| Hardest Requirement: Need 3 for the Swimming merit badge has you demonstrating different strokes for 150 yards. If you’re able to swim this won’t be also tough. The hardest need for Cycling will certainly be to finish a 20-mile hike. For Cycling, you’ll require to finish a 50-mile bike ride. |
Eagle-Required Merit Badges To Earn Around Age 15
For scouts Around Age 15, it is suitable to take 5 of the 7 types of the merit badges. Starting from :
- Citizenship in the Community
- Citizenship in the Nation
- Citizenship in the World
- Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
- Environmental Science or Sustainability
1. Citizenship in the Community
| Overview: If you’ve reached the center of your Scouting occupation, it’s about time you earn the Citizenship merit badges. Citizenship in the Community will aid precursors to recognize their federal government on a neighborhood degree, as well as identify means to sustain organizations benefiting their community. |
| Total Difficulty: 8 Frequently taken into consideration the most difficult citizenship merit badge to complete, Citizenship in the Community mainly calls for Scouts to complete projects, volunteer in their community, and comprehend numerous expertise requirements. |
| Hardest Requirement: To complete requirement 7, you’ll require to offer with an organization helping your community for an overall of 8 hours. You’ll likewise need to go to various other local events as well as create a discussion to display distinct aspects of your community. |
2. Citizenship in the Nation
| Overview: The Citizenship in the Nation merit badge teaches precursors regarding the rights and also duties of people citizens. In completing this badge, scouts will additionally learn about the history and also a present-day feature of the American federal government on a nationwide degree. |
| General Difficulty: 7 Citizenship in the Nation generally requires you to learn and understand our government’s standard features, as well as should not be too difficult to finish. You’ll additionally require to work on a few projects such as exploring a nationwide center and also creating a letter to a chosen official. |
| Hardest Requirement: Requirement 8 is most likely one of the toughest part of the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge, as it requires you to write a letter to among your district’s elected officials. Later, you’ll likewise require to go over any type of feedback you receive with your counselor. |
I suggest scouts finish the Citizenship badges around the age of 15, as they’ll have most likely taken classes in school, such as world history and civics, that would certainly provide a great history to gain these sorts of badges.
3. Citizenship in the World
| Overview: Citizenship worldwide will show precursors about the different companies that help to promote international law. Precursors will certainly additionally learn about different cultures and also international events, with any luck ending up being extra open-minded and approving of all individuals in our world. |
| Total Difficulty: 6 Citizenship in the World is typically taken into consideration the most straightforward Citizenship merit badge and will primarily evaluate your capability to address understanding requirements. The whole badge can be researched and completed in one resting if you’re committed enough. |
| Hardest Requirement: To complete Citizenship in the World requirement 3, you’ll need to look into an existing globe concern along with the different nations entailed. This will take a good understanding of geography as well as politics, which is why I recommend this badge for Scouts that have already taken world history and geography classes. |
4. Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving
| Overview: When offered the option to make either Emergency Preparedness or Lifesaving, a lot of scouts make Emergency Preparedness, as Emergency Preparedness can be finished individually and shows the skills essential to react and also stop to different kinds of dilemmas. Most Lifesaving requirements need to be finished in a pool with qualified lifeguard guidance. In making Lifesaving, a scout will learn how to deal with various types of water emergencies. |
| General Difficulty: 5 and 6 Emergency Preparedness mainly consists of simple knowledge requirements but needs a scout to make their First Aid merit badge ahead of time. For Lifesaving, a scout has to show various swimming and also rescue strategies in the water. Be alerted, Lifesaving is harder to earn than the Swimming merit badge. |
| Hardest Requirement For Emergency Preparedness: To finish requirement 1 of Emergency Preparedness, you’ll first need to gain the First Aid merit badge. Additionally, you’ll also require to participate in an emergency solution job with your Scouting unit or a community agency to complete need 7. |
| Hardest Requirement For Lifesaving: Requirement 1 of the Lifesaving badge requires you to swim continuously for 400 yards while demonstrating numerous strokes. Beyond this, you’ll also require to reveal confidence in the water by finishing various water rescue exercises. |
5. Environmental Science or Sustainability
| Overview: Both the Sustainability and Environmental Science merit badges will certainly educate you on important abilities concerning just how to conserve resources as well as safeguard the natural ecosystem. However, while Sustainability offers extra with decreasing waste in your household. Environmental Science will educate you about the science behind the manner in which humans interact with nature. |
| Overall Difficulty: 8 and 9 Both Environmental Science and also Sustainability are tricky badges that are generally dealt with independently. For either selection, you’ll have a well-balanced mix of experiments and also understanding requirements to complete. Via your experiments, you’ll create a comprehensive understanding of how your activities impact the environment. |
| Hardest Requirement For Environmental Science: Requirement 3 of the Environmental Science merit badge will certainly offer you the choice to either conduct experiments or write records. Requirement 4 will certainly have you perform an experiment by observing a plot of land. Both of these jobs are difficult as well as will certainly take a minimum of one week to finish. |
| Hardest Requirement For Sustainability: Requirement 2 of the Sustainability merit badge will be tough. You’ll require to make numerous strategies to execute sustainability right into your family by reducing your water, food, and also energy waste. At a minimum, this set requirement will certainly take at the very least a month to carry out and complete. |
Eagle-Required Merit Badges For Older Scouts (Over 15)
A quick note, I have actually saved these badges for older precursors since they’re typically done individually and handle subjects that are much more complex and also ‘adult’.
You earn merit badges to learn life abilities, so to get the most out of Scouting, I ‘d very recommend you wait up until you’re 15 before beginning any one of the following badges.
For older scouts over 15, it is suitable to take 4 types of merit badges. Starting from:
- Personal Management
- Personal Fitness
- Family Life
- Communication
1. Personal Management
| Overview: The Personal Management merit badge will gear up precursors with the ability to manage their financial resources as young people. To earn this badge, you’ll need to track your budget for three months, in addition, to identify the answers to different knowledge requirements. Personal Management is among one of the most useful merit badges and also has several real-world applications. |
| Total Difficulty: 8 It’ll take initiative and willpower to finish the Personal Management merit badge. Requiring a detailed understanding of various financial terms, as well as the conclusion of a few projects, Personal Management is quickly among one of the hardest Eagle-required merit badges. |
| Hardest Requirement: Requirement 2 asks you to produce a spending plan and also track your expenditures for a period of 13 consecutive weeks. Outside of that, you’ll require to do hours of research to finish the financial knowledge requirements. |
2. Personal Fitness
| Overview: Personal Fitness is a time-consuming merit badge, however, it will be a lot easier if you take part in any institution sports. In making Personal Fitness, you’ll find out the appropriate way to care for your body, pick nutritious foods, as well as continue to be healthy. You’ll additionally create as well as adhere to a regular workout plan. |
| General Difficulty: 8 Given that a lot of the personal fitness requirements are about you, this merit badge usually isn’t also difficult for the majority of scouts to gain. The hardest part will certainly be to adhere to fitness as well as create a routine for 3 months. If you’re taking a PE class, this requirement comes to be much less complicated to complete. |
| Hardest Requirement: Requirements 7 and 8 ask you to detail a fitness program to adhere to over the span of 12 weeks. You’ll need to maintain a regular log of your tasks and results, coming along in various health and fitness categories. |
3. Family Life
| Overview: The Family Life merit badge instructs precursors the relevance of cooperation within a household, along with some key abilities required to one day, start their own family members. This badge is best matched for older scouts that face greater responsibilities in and also beyond their households. |
| Overall Difficulty: 7 While the requirements for Family Life aren’t also tough, you’ll still require to be on top of things to successfully complete this badge. Along with discussing various topics with your parents, you’re likewise be tracking your home duties, producing a project for your household, and also holding a family members meeting. |
| Hardest Requirement: For most scouts earning the Family Life merit badge, requirement 3 will certainly be one of the most difficult. Requirement 3 has you track as well as a total of at least 5 regular jobs throughout at the very least 90 days. By remaining on top of your routine, you’ll develop organizational skills and guarantee your plans prosper. |
4. Communication
| Overview: The Communication merit badge will show precursors to structure their thoughts as well as speak articulately. To complete this badge, scouts have to investigate the communication styles of themselves and also others, inevitably using these skills to hold an occasion and present on behalf of their troop. |
| Overall Difficulty: 9 Communication is often among the last merit badges that Eagle Precursors earn, and also forever reason. It’s tough! In between offering presentations, carrying out meetings, and also creating written web content, Communication is most likely among one of the hardest merit badges a Scout can earn. |
| Hardest Requirement: Requirements 2-8 will have you scripting and intending events, attending regional meetings, and also providing on several events. |
Ideally, you’re now prepared to go out and gain each of these badges! The website is a work in development, so I’ll be servicing finishing the remainder of the Eagle-required merit badge guides in the following few months.
The difficulty scores I’ve consisted of originated from the experiences I’ve had in Scouting, in addition to the input of various other scouts online website.
