Star is your first leadership rank. Now that you have the core Scout skills, you start earning merit badges, serving others, and taking on a real job in your troop. It's a chance to explore new interests and help your troop run well.
Why it's worth it
Star is when Scouting becomes about your troop and your own interests, not just a skills checklist. You'll hold a real job your troop depends on for four months, earn your first six merit badges in subjects you choose, and give hours of service. You'll find out what kind of leader you are, and one of those merit badges might turn into a lifelong hobby or even a career.
Start this week
- Ask your Scoutmaster which positions of responsibility are open and what doing each one well looks like.
- Pick two merit badges, one Eagle-required and one you're excited about. Ask your Scoutmaster for counselor names and message one with a parent copied.
- Write down the date you became First Class. The four months in requirements 1 and 5 count from there.
- Start a service log in a notebook or your phone: date, project, hours, and who approved it.
- Set an evening with a parent to go through the Parent's Guide exercises again for requirement 6.
Plan ahead: Requirements 1 and 5 each take 4 months as a First Class Scout, and Eagle-required badges like Personal Fitness and Personal Management include 12 or more weeks of tracking. Start your position and one longer badge soon after your First Class board of review.
Requirements · 8
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Stay active in your troop for 4 months or more as a First Class Scout
Tip: Keep showing up to meetings and outings. Being active is about taking part, not just being on the roster.
- Requirement 2
As a First Class Scout, show Scout spirit by living the Oath and Law; share how you've carried out your duty to God and lived the Oath and Law day to day
Tip: Think of real moments when you lived the Oath and Law, at school, at home, or in the troop, and be ready to share them.
For example: Bring stories, not definitions: "I stayed after the campout to help the quartermaster count tents when everyone else left. That was Helpful and Loyal." For duty to God, share what it means in your life or family, in your own words.
- Requirement 3
Earn 6 merit badges, including any 4 from the Eagle-required list
Tip: Pick a mix of Eagle-required badges and ones you're excited about. Ask your Scoutmaster for a list of counselors and contact one early.
For example: One balanced first six: First Aid, Camping, Citizenship in the Community, and Swimming from the Eagle-required list, plus two you're curious about, like Fishing, Game Design, or Chemistry.
- Requirement 4
As a First Class Scout, give 6 hours of service on one or more Scoutmaster-approved projects
Tip: Look for service projects your troop, school, or place of worship already runs. Get them approved by your leader before you start.
For example: Six hours could be three different projects: serving at a community dinner, a park cleanup, and helping a younger patrol run a food drive. Get each one approved by your leader before you start.
- Requirement 5
While First Class, actively serve 4 months as bugler, chaplain aide, den chief, historian, instructor, junior assistant Scoutmaster, librarian, OA troop rep, outdoor ethics guide, patrol leader, quartermaster, scribe, senior or assistant senior patrol leader, troop guide, or webmaster, or do a Scoutmaster-approved leadership project; Lone Scouts: a school, faith, club, or community leadership role
Tip: Talk with your Scoutmaster about which position fits you, like patrol leader, scribe, or quartermaster. Ask what doing the job well looks like.
For example: As quartermaster, you might inventory the troop's tents, tag what needs repair, and set up a sign-out sheet so each patrol has gear before campouts. Ask your Scoutmaster halfway through your term how you're doing.
- Requirement 6
Youth protection with your family
Tips for this section: Set aside time with a parent to go through the Parent's Guide exercises and videos again. It is a good chance to talk about staying safe as you take on more.
- Requirement 6a
With a parent or guardian, do the exercises in the Parent's Guide pamphlet on protecting children from abuse
- Requirement 6b
With a parent or guardian's permission, watch the Personal Safety Awareness videos (your Scoutmaster may waive the videos with your family if you have no internet access)
- Requirement 7
As a First Class Scout, have a Scoutmaster conference
Tip: Come ready to talk about how your leadership role is going and what merit badges you want to do next.
For example: Bring your service log, your merit badge list, and one honest story about your position: something that went well and something you'd do differently.
- Requirement 8
Pass your Star board of review
Tip: Share what you've learned as a leader and what you've enjoyed most. Wear your uniform and relax.
Ask yourself
- What does your troop do better because of the job you held?
- Which merit badge surprised you, and could it turn into a hobby or a career?
- When did leading feel hard, and what did you do about it?
- How has the way you treat younger Scouts changed since you made First Class?
- What do you want people to say about you as a leader by the time you reach Life?
Good questions to ask your Scoutmaster at your conference
- What do you see as my strengths as a leader, and what should I work on?
- Which position might stretch me the most as I work toward Life?
- Which Eagle-required badges should I plan next, and in what order?
- Where could I find service projects that fit what I care about?
Helpful reads
- How advancement works, Ranks, sign-offs, conferences, and boards of review in plain words: how a Scout moves from Scout rank to Eagle, at a pace that fits your life., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Your Scoutmaster conference and board of review, What happens at each, how to get ready, questions they might ask you, and questions you can ask them. It's a conversation, not a test., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- The trail to Eagle, Star, Life, and Eagle in plain words: the time and leadership rules, which Eagle-required badges to start first, the records to keep, the project, and the board., Youth · Families · Leaders · 8 min read
For leaders & parents
- Help each Scout find a position of responsibility that fits their strengths, and check in during the term.
- Keep a current list of merit badge counselors and help Scouts make their first contact.
People & places that can help
- Scoutmaster — Helps you choose a leadership position and approves service hours.
- Merit badge counselors — Talk with them early; they can explain what each badge expects.
- Scouting America (opens in a new tab) — Official merit badge requirements and the Eagle-required list.
- Scouting America Merit Badges (opens in a new tab) — Official requirements for every merit badge, so you can choose your next ones.
- Scouts BSA Advancement and Awards (opens in a new tab) — Scouting America's overview of ranks, merit badges, and awards.
Pairs well with
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.