• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Scouter Mom

A resource Scouts and Scouting

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on TwitterFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail
  • Home
  • Cub Scouts
    • Bobcat
    • Lions
    • Tigers
    • Wolves
    • Bears
    • Webelos and Arrow of Light
    • Other Cub Scout Awards
    • Cub Scout Pack Committee
  • Scouts BSA (Boy Scouts)
    • Scout Rank
    • Tenderfoot
    • Second Class
    • First Class
    • Star
    • Life
    • Eagle Scout
    • Eagle Palms
    • Merit Badges
    • Scouts BSA Nova Awards
    • Other Scouts BSA Awards
    • Youth Leadership
    • Troop Committee
  • Venturers
    • Venturing Award
    • Discovery Award
    • Pathfinder Award
    • Summit Award
    • Venturing Ranger Award
    • Quest Award
    • TRUST Award
    • Venturing Nova Awards
    • Other Venturing Awards
  • Ideas
    • Ceremonies
    • Crafts
    • Games
    • Gathering Activities
    • Team Building Activities
    • Cheers, Run Ons, and Audience Participation
    • Prayers and Graces
    • Projects and Tools
    • Scoutmaster and Cubmaster Minutes
    • Recipes
    • Songs
    • Skits
    • Puzzles and Printables
    • Stories
    • Magic Tricks and Stunts
    • Humor
  • Program Themes
    • Cub Scout Themes
    • Scouts BSA (Boy Scout) Themes
    • Program Ideas by Holidays both Serious and Silly
  • About
    • Contact Scouter Mom
    • Gifts for Scouts and Scouters
    • Questions and Answers from Scouters

Board of Review Questions

January 2, 2021 1 Comment

Reader Shelley asked

I’m a new Troop Committee Chair and was wondering if anyone has some great questions that they ask their Scouts during their Board of Reviews?

Sometimes committee members struggle to come up with good Board of Review questions. First of all, it is important to be familiar with the procedures and purposes of a Board of Review. There is a good summary on the official BSA site. There is also a training module which you can use to educate your Committee members.

Remember this is a conversation not a grilling.  (See the article from Scouting Magazine, This Is Not a Test. ) So first put the Scout at ease. Start with some easy questions they can answer with confidence, especially if they are going for one of the early ranks. “What rank are you completing?” “Which patrol are you in?” “Who is your patrol leader?”

Ask open ended questions. “Tell me about what you did to fulfill the requirement for …” or “What did you cook at camp?”. Often the Scouts are a little nervous and you need to get the conversation started.

Find out about their Scouting experience. “Are you having any difficulties in the troop?” “How is your patrol working out?”

Find out where they are headed with their Scouting career. “What do you see yourself doing in the troop next year?” “Have you thought about what position of responsibility you would like to take on?”

A Board of Review can also help you get a feeling for how the Scouts feel about the troop program. “Do you have any ideas for a campout or activity you would like to do?” “Is there something you’d like to learn about in the troop setting?”  “What would you like to see the troop do differently? ” Then when the Scout answers, you can encourage him to take his idea to the PLC and get involved in carrying it out.

Often the questions depend on the individual Scout. If you know they are having difficulty with something or have done something they are proud of, then you can ask about that and the conversation can head off in a different direction.

If you are doing a BOR to prepare the Scout for his Eagle Board of Review, ask him more challenging questions of the type that will be asked of him at the Eagle BOR.  Bryan on Scouting published an article, 20 Questions to Ask at Your Next Eagle Board of Review which has a good list of examples. There is also an article Longtime Scouter left behind template for running Eagle Scout boards of review.

Readers, what are your favorite questions to ask at a Board of Review? Add them to the comments below.

Filed Under: Scouts BSATagged: Questions



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dustin Tarditi says

    January 4, 2021 at 8:28 AM

    Ask open ended questions!
    Seek feedback on the quality and fitment of the program both from a youth leadership and adult interaction point-of-view.
    Each rank and position of responsibility has different scope of questions and expected levels of experience to reflect on (for instance if a scout just became APL for the first time their questions will be very different than a scout who has served as PL or SPL for a successful term already).

    I like to inquire what they like about scouting in general and the troop in particular
    Ask who their tent-mate/scout buddy is and how they get along
    What is your favorite camping meal that you have cooked – is there one that didn’t turn out so well? Why/why not?
    What merit badges are you working on?
    Have them describe their favorite outing since their last BOR
    If they had a magic wand what is one thing they would change about how the troop operates
    Tell me about an ideal adventure/trek/outing
    What service have you performed for the community
    What is something that is broken and needs fixing or attention? (could be a physical thing like a patrol box or a procedural thing like “I never know where we’re going camping until 3 days before we leave…”)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Categories

Tags

Camp Cooking Ceremonies Cheers and Audience Participation Cooking on a Stick Crafts Cubs in the Kitchen Dutch Oven Cooking Events featured Foil Pack Cooking Games Gathering Activities Humor Ideas Inspiration (Minutes) Prayers and Graces Projects Puzzles Questions Recipes Skits Songs Stories Team Building Trail Food Tricks and Stunts

Mosquito Netting for Summer Camp

How do Scouts and Scouters survive buggy nights in open-air platform tents? The A-frame canvas tents have been used by generations of Scouts but are open to bugs and lots of other critters.
Learn more.

Reliable Web Hosting




This site is not sponsored or endorsed by the Boy Scouts of America. All opinions expressed belong to Scouter Mom and her readers.

© A2ZWare LLC and Scouter Mom, 2021 . Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the site author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Scouter Mom with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Scouter Mom is a participant in affiliate programs and generates revenue by advertising and linking to Amazon and other affiliate sites. Your purchase of items through this website helps pay the bills to keep this site running. Thank you!