Top Five Hardest Merit Badges to Earn
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Top Five Hardest Merit Badges to Earn
The difficulty of obtaining merit badges varies from boy to boy. Some are challenging technically, while others call for developed physical fitness or mental stamina. But traditionally speaking, a few of the badges required for Eagle Scout advancement are known to be more difficult. Here's five of the top hardest to earn merit badges, with a few of their key requirements...
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Personal Fitness
It takes a full three months to earn the Personal Fitness merit badge. And to get it, a Boy Scout must face fitness challenges on a personal level and reveal his dedication to improving his energy, strength, self-confidence and overall abilities. He will receive a physical and dental examination by his healthcare practitioner, and be able to describe the importance of keeping oneself healthy. He will take an aerobic fitness and flexibility test and record his performance, follow and log a 12-week physical fitness program, and retake the tests at the end, showing an improvement in each area. This physically demanding merit badge teaches a Scout why health matters at the personal level and helps instill self-confidence, perseverance and hard work ethic.
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Environmental Science
A merit badge that challenges a Scout's memory, critical thinking skills and retention for information, Environmental Science offers a comprehensive overview of our natural world – and it's also one of the most frequently earned merit badges. Requirements for the badge include knowing key terms and concepts, like habitats, endangered species and conservation efforts, and doing an ecology experiment that either illustrates the greenhouse effect or the relationship of living organisms. A Scout with the Environmental Science merit badge on his uniform is knowledgeable on air, water and land pollution, and he has completed at least two in-depth outdoor studies.
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Scuba Diving
Introduced in 2009, the Scuba Diving merit badge is enjoying a wave of popularity among Boy Scouts. The Scuba Diving merit badge requires a significant amount of instruction, time and money to complete. A Scout must first complete several prerequisites – like the Swimming badge and an Open Water Diver Certification – before working towards this merit badge. All phases of the scuba instruction must be completed by a recognized PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) agency, as BSA is not a dive certification agency. Requirements for obtaining the Scuba Diving merit badge also include CPR knowledge, memorization of the Scuba Diver's Code guidelines and a general understanding of the aquatic ecosystem.
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Lifesaving
The Lifesaving merit badge is a requirement to become an Eagle Scout, but the required skills are physically demanding to master. This badge was designed to teach strategies to help save the life of another, solidifying the core values of the Boy Scouts of America. A Scout working towards the Lifesaving merit badge will learn how to help those harmed in water accidents. They will pass swimming tests, demonstrate a variety of rescue techniques and recover a 10-pound weight submerged in 8-10 feet of water, to name a few of the Lifesaving badge requirements.
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Personal Management
The Personal Management merit badge not only tests a Scout's bookkeeping skills, but his dedication to learning a new skill, as it can take at least three months to complete. Badge requirements include mapping a life plan that includes setting short-term and long-range goals. Scouts will consider the education, training and life experience needed to reach these goals, and commit to a path. Concepts like money management, charitable giving, emotional shopping, publicly-traded stocks, loans and investments are analyzed.
I too agree with Steven. Being a Divermaster under PADI, a Commercial diver from the Commercial Diving Center and a Century Cyclist. Cycling the final 50 mile bike ride is physically and mentally harder on most scouts.
I would agree with Steven, the requirements for the Personal Finance and Personal Fitness badges are not that strenuous but require some determination. Each Scout has different strengths and others can be much more challenging to complete. My son chose the Bicycling badge instead of the Swimming for his Eagle requirement because he physically is not able to be very buoyant and struggles with swimming.
I agree that getting a boy to commit to documenting three months worth of financial or fitness activity is not easy, but this does not make the personal management or personal fitness merit badges "hard to earn" in my opinion.
I teach the cycling merit badge and the boys must learn how to repair and maintain their bicycles and ride 150 miles with the last 50 of it being one ride in under 8 hours. There are very few of these merit badges handed out and for good reason. It is one of a trio of merit badges from which scouts must earn one to advance to Eagle. Most take the easier route and get swimming or hiking.
@Steven Haugen Im sorry but cycling takes less effort than the swimming merit badge. Cycling you can sit, use gears to adjust to the terrain, and can drink water while cycling. Also cycling you can stop to take a break, unlike the swimming merit badge where you have to swim 1 full mile, nonstop without touching the sides of a pool, or for rest. Swimming relies on how physical fit you are and doesn't use any type of mechanic to do the work for you.
@Brodie Gill @Steven Haugen Sorry, the merit badge listed is lifesaving. It aslo does not require a mile swim...it requires 400 yards in a variety of strokes
@Brodie Gill @Steven Haugen You do not hav to swim a mile to earn the swimming merit badge. You have to swim 150 continuous yards in a variety of strokes. You do not even have to swim a mile to earn BSA lifeguard-that is 550 yards (about 1/3 of a mile)
Yes, SCUBA diving requires a lot of information, but the all that is required for this merit badge is to get certified. Sure, it costs a couple hundred dollars, but that does not make it hard to get.