Board of Review Questions
First ask
the Scout to recite the:
Pledge of Allegiance
Scout
Oath
Scout Law
Scout Oath
On my honor I will do
my best
To do my duty to God and
my country
and to obey the Scout
Law;
To help other people at all
times;
To keep myself physically
strong,
mentally awake, and
morally straight.
Scout Law
A Scout is . . .
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Friendly
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
Reverent
Tenderfoot Rank
This is the Scout's first
experience with a Board of Review. The process may require some
explanation on the part of the Board of Review Chairperson.
The first
few questions in the Board of Review should be simple. The Board of Review
should try to gain a sense of how the Scout is fitting in to the Troop,
and the Scout's level of enjoyment of the Troop and Patrol activities.
Encourage advancement to 2nd Class. Point out that the Scout may have
already completed many of the requirements for 2nd Class.
Sample
Questions:
Have you been coming regularly to troop meetings?
What do
you like about them? Not like about them?
What did you do at your last
patrol meeting?
Tell us about some of the things you learned as a
Tenderfoot Scout.
How would the first aid skills you must know for
Tenderfoot help on a campout?
Folding the American flag is a
requirement for Tenderfoot. Where did you learn how to do this?
Have
you gone on a troop hike? How did you like it?
If you were on a hike
and got lost, what would you do?
What is the "Buddy System" that we use
in Scouting? When do we use it?
Why do you think there are physical
fitness requirements (push-ups, pull-ups, etc.), and a retest after 30
days, for the Tenderfoot rank?
Doing a "good turn" is part of being a
Scout. What "good turn" have you done today?
Please give us an example
of how you obey the Scout Law at home (school, church)?
What do you
like best about our Troop?
Is there anything you’d like to change about
our troop?
Do you like being a Scout?
Are you having fun?
When do
you expect to complete the requirements for 2nd Class?
2nd
Class Rank
What did your patrol do at its last meeting?
What did you do in this patrol meeting?
Tell us about a service project
in which you participated.
Where did you go on your last Troop campout?
Did you have a good time? Why?
Why is it important to be able to
identify animals found in your community?
Tell us about the flag
ceremony in which you participated.
What have you learned about
handling woods tools (axes, saws, etc.)?
How are a map of the area and
a compass useful on a campout?
Have you ever done more than one "good
turn" in a day? Ask for details.
Have you earned any merit badges?
If "Yes": Which ones? Why did you choose them? Who was your counselor?
If "No": Encourage getting started, and suggest one or two of the easier
ones.
Did you attend summer camp with our Troop last summer?
If
"Yes": What was your best (worst) experience at summer camp?
If "No":
Why not?
How do you help out at home, church, school?
What class in
school is most challenging for you? Why?
One of the requirements for
Tenderfoot is to participate in a program regarding drug, alcohol and
tobacco abuse. Tell us about the program in which you participated.
How
is it possible to live the Scout Oath and Law in your daily life?
What
does it mean to say, "A Scout is Trustworthy"?
What do you like best
about our Troop?
Is there anything you’d like to change about our
troop?
Do you like being a Scout?
Are you having fun?
When do you
expect to complete the requirements for 1st Class?
1st
Class Rank
On average, how many troop meetings do you attend
each month?
What is the Scout Slogan? What does it mean for a 1st Class
Scout?
Tell us about your last campout with the troop. Where did you
go? How did you help with meal preparation? Did you have a good time? (If
"No", why not?)
If you were in charge of planning and preparing a
dinner for your next campout, what would you select?
As a 1st Class
Scout, what do you think the Star, Life, and Eagle Scouts will expect from
you on an outing?
Does your family do any camping? What have you
learned in Scouts, that you have been able to share with your family to
improve their camping experiences?
Why do you think that swimming is
emphasized in Scouting?
Why is it important for you to know how to
transport a person who has a broken leg?
Why is it important for you to
be able to recognize local plant life?
What did you learn about using a
compass while completing the orienteering requirement?
What does it
mean to say, "A Scout is Courteous"?
Why are merit badges a part of
Scouting?
How frequently do you attend religious services? Does your
whole family attend?
What is your most favorite part of Scouting? Least
favorite?
How does a Scout fulfill his "Duty to Country"?
How do you
define "Scout Spirit"?
What is the Order of the Arrow? What is the
primary function of OA?
What do you like best about our Troop?
Is
there anything you’d like to change about our troop?
Do you like being
a Scout?
Are you having fun?
When do you think you might be ready
for Star Scout?
Star Scout
How many Troop
outings have you attended in the last three months?
Tell us about the
last service project in which you participated.
What does it mean for a
Star Scout to "Be Prepared" on a daily basis?
How have the Scout skills
that you have learned helped you in a non-Scouting activity?
How many
merit badges have you earned? What was the most difficult (fun,
challenging, expensive, etc.)?
Which is more important: Becoming a Star
Scout, or learning the skills prescribed for a Star Scout?
Why do you
think a Scoutmaster's Conference is required for advancement in rank?
What is the most important part of a troop Court of Honor? Why?
What
leadership positions have you recently held?
What specifically did you
do in that leadership position? Have you helped a younger Scout to
advance? Who and how? (Or why not?)
What extracurricular activities do
you participate in at school?
What responsibilities do you have at
home?
What is our "Duty to God"?
What does it mean to say, "A Scout
is Loyal"?
How are the Scout Oath and Law part of your daily life?
If the Scout is a member of the Order of the Arrow:
What does
membership in the OA signify? Have you provided cheerful service back to
Scouting through the OA?
Have you received any special awards or
accomplishments in school, athletics, or church?
What do you like best
about our Troop?
Is there anything you’d like to change about our
troop?
Do you like being a Scout?
Are you having fun?
When do you
plan on achieving the Life rank?
Life Scout
How many patrol meetings has your patrol held in the last three months?
How many of them have you attended? What have you done to make them
productive?
Have any of the merit badges you have earned lead to
hobbies or possible careers?
Of the merit badges you have earned, which
one do you think will be of greatest value to you as an adult? Why?
Why
do you think that the three "Citizenship" merit badges are required for
the Eagle Rank?
What is your current (most recent) leadership position
within the Troop? How long have you held that position? What particular
challenges does it present? What specifically did you do in this position?
Why do you think that Star and Life Scouts are required to contribute so
much time to service projects? What service projects are most rewarding to
you? Why?
Why do you think that a Board of Review is required for rank
advancement?
How has Scouting prepared you for the future?
What does
it mean to say, "A Scout is Reverent"?
What does "Scout Spirit" mean to
a Life Scout?
Why do you think that Scouting for Food is referred to as
a "National Good Turn?"
The Scout Oath refers to "Duty to Self"; what
duty do we have to ourselves?
If the Scout is a member of OA:
What
role does OA play in Scouting?
What have you done in the OA to provide
cheerful service back to Scouting?
What do you like best about our
Troop?
Is there anything you’d like to change about our troop?
Do
you like being a Scout?
Are you having fun?
Have you begun to think
about an Eagle Service Project?
What are you thinking about doing?
When?
Eagle Scout
Sample Questions
SCOUT OATH AND LAW
▪ The three aims of the Boy Scout program are to
foster citizenship, character, and fitness. How has the program helped
you in each of these areas?
▪ What has Scouting taught you about
citizenship that your non-Scouting friends don’t understand?
▪ What
does "duty to country" mean to you?
▪ Why do you think that belief in
God (a supreme being) is part of the Scouting requirements?
▪ What is
the most important point of the Scout Law? Why? The least important?
Why?
▪ What is the hardest point of the Scout Law to live by? Why?
▪ What point of the Scout Law is the most important to you? Why? Probe
especially: trustworthy, obedient, cheerful, helpful.
▪ How do you
"help other people at all times"?
▪ What does the phrase “on my honor”
mean to you?
▪ Is “doing your best” a part of your everyday life? Why
or why not?
▪ What does it mean to “be prepared?” How are you
prepared/unprepared in your everyday life?
▪ What does it mean to “do a
good turn daily?” Tell me about three good turns you did over the past
week.
▪ What has Scouting taught you about service to others?
▪
What is your greatest strength? Your greatest weaknesses?
▪ Can you
give me an example of someone who is a hero to you? (A real person, not a
character in a book or movie.)
RANKS AND MERIT BADGES
▪ Why is
it important to learn how to tie knots, and lash together poles and logs?
To learn first aid?
▪ What rank requirement was the hardest for you to
complete? Why?
▪ What merit badge did you enjoy working on the most
Why? The least? Why?
▪ Why do you think BSA has a number of
required merit badges for the Eagle Scout rank?
▪ Name one
Eagle-required merit badge that you think should not be required. What is
it, and why?
▪ Name one elective merit badge that you think should be
required for Eagle. What is it, and why?
OUTDOOR /CAMPING
EXPERIENCES
▪ Why does Scouting stress camping and the outdoors so
much?
▪ How would you describe your experiences with cooking?
▪ What
camping experience have you had, that you wish every Scout could have?
▪ What was your overall feeling about your summer camp experiences?
▪
Did you attend any High Adventure camps (Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea
Base) or the National Jamboree? Where and what did you enjoy about them?
Describe the experience – especially his leadership.
HIS TROOP
▪ What patrol are you in?
▪ What is your patrol yell?
▪ What do you
usually do in your patrol meetings?
▪ Which patrol in your troop is the
strongest? Weakest? Why?
▪ How do you know when a Scout is "active"
in his unit?
▪ What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a new patrol
leader? Senior patrol leader? Adult leader? Your Scoutmaster?
▪ You
were (or were not) senior patrol leader. Why?
▪ Scouting is supposed
to be a boy-run program. How well does your troop do in this regard?
▪
What are some of the things you like most about your troop? Things you
dislike and would like to see changed?
▪ How did you personally make
your patrol and troop a better place?
EAGLE PROJECT
▪ Please
walk the Board through your project from beginning to
end.
◦ The planning
phase
◦ The organization of
personnel
◦ Directing the project to completion
▪ Who did you get involved in
helping you with your project - scouts, adults from his troop, members of
the benefiting organization?
▪ Did you have any problems directing
adults in their work - how did you feel about that?
▪ How much of a
role did your parents and family play in your Eagle project? (Note:
Council guidelines recommend keeping family assistance to a minimum.)
▪
How did you work with your troop Eagle advisor? How attentive were you to
his comments and suggestions? What did you learn from this experience?
▪ Describe the changes you had to make to your Eagle project. What did
you learn from them?
▪ How did you demonstrate leadership during your
Eagle project?
▪ What did you learn from writing the Eagle project
synopsis?
▪ What did you learn by going through the Eagle Scout project
process?
▪ What part of your Eagle service project was the hardest or
most challenging? Why?
▪ If you were to manage another project similar
to your Eagle service project, what would you do differently to make the
project better or easier?
▪ Thirty years from now when someone else
asks you what you did for his Eagle project, what will stand out in your
mind - how will you answer that question?
LEADERSHIP
▪ What
leadership positions have you held?
▪ What were your responsibilities
in each position?
▪ What specifically did you do in each of these
leadership positions?
▪ How would you rate your performance? How could
you improve? What did you learn?
▪ What leadership position do you
hold now?
▪ What has been your favorite leadership position as a
Scout? Why? Was it particularly hard and challenging or easy? Why?
▪
How did you demonstrate leadership at summer camp?
▪ If the Scout went
on a High Adventure outing, what was your crew leadership position? What
specifically did you do? How do you think you did? What did you learn?
How could you improve the next time?
▪ During your Scouting career,
what did you learn about managing or leading people? What are the
qualities of a good leader?
▪ If the Scout is a member of the Order of
the Arrow: what have you done in the OA to provide cheerful service back
to Scouting?
THOUGHTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
▪ What was your most
enjoyable experience in Scouting? Least enjoyable?
▪ If you could
change one thing to improve Scouting, what would you change?
▪ What do
you think is the single biggest issue facing Scouting in the future? How
would you propose to handle it?
▪ What changes you would you like to
make in your troop?
▪ What one piece of advice would you give the adult
leaders in your troop?
▪ Who has been the most influential person in
your Scouting career?
▪ What is one lesson from Scouting that you will
carry with you forever?
FUTURE PLANS
▪ If you earn his Eagle
rank tonight, how do you intend to repay Scouting, your troop and your
leaders?
▪ What are your plans for the future - college, Armed Forces,
trade school, etc.?
▪ When you turn 18, you assume some new
responsibilities. What are they? (sign up for the draft, register to
vote, able to drink legally, responsible for his actions in the eyes of
the law, etc.)
▪ What do you plan to do in scouting in the immediate
and long-range future?
▪ What legacy will you leave your troop? What
will others in the troop say about you once you leave?
OTHER
▪
Who was the founder of the Boy Scout movement? [Answer: Robert
Baden-Powell]
WRAP-UP
▪ You have been in Scouting for many
years; sum up all of those experiences in one word. Why that word?
▪
What is the single biggest reason why you want to be an Eagle Scout?
▪
If you did not pass your board of review, how would you handle the
disappointment?
▪ What do you believe our society expects from an Eagle
Scout?
▪ The charge to the Eagle requires that you give back to
Scouting more than Scouting has given to you. How do you propose to do
that?
▪ It’s often said that there’s no end to the Eagle trail and that
becoming an Eagle Scout is a beginning and not an ending. What do those
statements mean to you?
▪ It is sometimes said that an Eagle Scout is a
“marked man.” What do you think this means?
▪ Do you think you deserve
to be an Eagle Scout? Why?
Eagle Scout Palms
▪ As an Eagle, have the Scout Oath and Law gained new meaning for
you? How?
▪ Why is it important to develop leadership? How have you
done this in the past three months?
▪ Since earning your Eagle, what
merit badges have you earned?
▪ Since earning your Eagle (or last
Palm), in which service projects have you participated?
▪ How have you
been active in your troop and patrol?
▪ How have you actively helped
the senior patrol leader, patrol leaders, or junior assistant Scoutmasters
do a better job?
▪ What would you say to a Life Scout who is only
minimally active within his unit, and who does not seem motivated to
continue along the Scouting trail?
▪ If a Life Scout were having
difficulty selecting an Eagle service project, what would you suggest to
him?
▪ What is the primary role of the Scoutmaster?
▪ How have you
begun to "... give back to Scouting more than Scouting has given to you?"
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Guidelines and Questions for All Ranks
Guidelines and questions for doing
a Board of Review (all ranks)
Additional Board of Review
questions (all ranks)