Life Skills

Test Lab Badge
Produced Patch
Available Now!

The Life Skills Badge helps Scouts develop a variety of practical skills that are essential for independent living and personal growth. It covers areas such as health, household management, finance, social interactions, employment readiness, and transportation. Scouts learn how to maintain their physical and mental well-being, manage personal finances, care for their living spaces, communicate effectively with others, explore career options, and safely navigate transportation systems. By completing the requirements, Scouts gain valuable tools for responsible decision-making and become better prepared to take on adult responsibilities.

Test Lab Badge Patch

For most achivements and events in Scouting, patches are created to commemorate the accomplishment. Looking back on the patches you have earned is a great way to remember your Scouting experiences. Also, patches are a major trading item among Scouts.

Scouting America does not create or sell patches for the Test Lab badges during their pilot phase. However, an unofficial patch has been created by Scoutmaster Bucky. This patch can only be worn on the back of the merit badge sash as the front is reserved for official merit badges.

Purchase the Test Lab Badge Here!

Resources

Life Skills Requirements
Current Scouts BSA requirements
as of January 6, 2026

This Test Lab offering is valid until June 30, 2026.

1.
Health. Do the following:
A.
Describe the steps to make a doctor’s appointment.
B.
Locate the hospital or urgent care center closest to your home.
C.
Explain what health insurance is and why it is important to have.
D.
Identify 5 ways to practice medication safety at home.
E.
Describe what information should be included in your personal health record and create one for yourself.
F.
Identify 5 everyday situations where first aid would be required and what to do when first aid is needed.
2.
Household. Do the following:
A.
Explain the steps required to do laundry. With your parent or guardian’s permission, wash and dry one load of laundry.
B.
Explain the steps required to iron clothes. With your parent or guardian’s permission, demonstrate how to iron two different articles of clothing.
C.
Demonstrate your knowledge of sewing by sewing a patch or button on a shirt or pair of pants.
D.
Explain the importance of maintaining a clean household. Describe why it is important to control clutter. Demonstrate your knowledge by cleaning your bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen.
E.
Demonstrate how to set a casual dining table and a formal dining table.
3.
Money. Do the following:
A.
Explain what is required to open a bank account and compare the differences between a traditional bank, an online bank, and a credit union.
B.
Explain the importance of saving money.
C.
Explain what online bill pay is and compare the pros and cons of paying your bills online.
D.
Describe how a credit card works, the reasons to get a credit card, the costs you may incur by using a credit card, and how to use a credit card effectively.
4.
Social. Do the following:
A.
Demonstrate how to properly introduce yourself in a social situation.
B.
Explain what social etiquette means and how to practice it.
C.
Explain what it means to set personal boundaries and what to do when those boundaries are crossed.
D.
Create a list of similarities and differences of the members of a group you are involved with (troop, school club, sports team, etc.). Share this list with your counselor and describe how these similarities and differences affect the group.
E.
Explain how equity is different from equality. Describe a situation that might exist in school, sports, an extra-curricular activity or Scouting that could result in inequity.
F.
Give six examples of appropriate table manners
5.
Self-Care. Do the following:
A.
Explain what self-respect means and how you can demonstrate it.
B.
Explain to your counselor what might cause stress and how to manage it.
C.
Explain the importance of good personal hygiene and give examples of how to practice it.
D.
Explain the benefits of exercise and demonstrate three types of exercise found in the fitness section of your Scouts BSA handbook.
6.
Employment. Do THREE of the following:
A.
Create a resume and review it with your counselor.
B.
Write a cover letter for a job posting and review it with your counselor.
C.
Describe how to make a great impression during a job interview and give 5 examples of questions that you would ask during an interview.
D.
Explain why it is essential to write professional emails. Write a professional email thanking someone for interviewing you for a job. Share your email with your counselor.
E.
Demonstrate how to leave a professional voicemail message.
F.
Explain how posts to social media can affect you when applying for a job.
7.
Transportation. Do TWO of the following:
A.
Explain what to do if you are involved in a car accident.
B.
Describe the steps on jumpstarting a car battery.
C.
Explain the benefits of regular car maintenance.
D.
Compare the differences between leasing versus buying a new car.
E.
On a map of your community or using an electronic device, locate and point out the public transportation infrastructure. Plan how to get to a friend’s home or shopping center from your house. Explain the route and cost of the roundtrip to your counselor.
8.
Complete the survey below to complete the test lab requirements
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