Second Class Rank
Build confidence — navigation, cooking, and helping others.
Second Class expands on Tenderfoot with a broader set of outdoor and safety skills. Navigation with map and compass, outdoor cooking, water safety awareness, and more developed first aid are the core areas. A meaningful addition at this rank: scouts begin helping others, which introduces the leadership thread that continues through Eagle.
Requirements are paraphrased for reference. Always verify current requirements at scouting.org or with your local council before a Board of Review.
What Does Second Class Rank Require?
- ✓Demonstrate map and compass navigation skills
- ✓Cook a meal in the outdoors using proper techniques
- ✓Learn water rescue basics and first aid for water emergencies
- ✓Demonstrate more advanced first aid skills
- ✓Show leadership by helping a newer scout with a skill
This is a summary. The full requirement list is at scouting.org.
Free Second Class Rank Checklist
Printable sign-off sheet for all Second Classrequirements. Keep one in the scout's binder.
What Second Class Rank Actually Means
By Second Class, scouts have been through at least a few campouts and are starting to develop real outdoor competence. The navigation requirement is often the one that takes the most practice — map and compass work is a genuine skill, not something picked up in a single meeting. The cooking requirement should happen on an actual campout, not a kitchen demonstration.
Can Scouts Work on Multiple Ranks at Once?
Second Class and First Class requirements can still be worked on simultaneously. Many scout troops use a systematic approach where each campout hits requirements from both ranks at once.
What Comes After Second Class?
After Second Class, the focus is First Class — the most demanding of the early ranks and the one that unlocks the path to Star, Life, and Eagle. Keep camping. Camping nights accumulated now will matter.
Scoutmaster Conference — Second Class Rank
At Second Class, a scout has been around long enough to have real opinions about the program. Ask about patrol dynamics, what they've learned that surprised them, and where they want to go next. This is also a good time to surface any stalled requirements and make a plan.
Open SM Conference & BOR Guide →