Anybody have experience with Polygraph tests?

[flan7211]

Hey all,

In process of being hired as a corrections officer. I've done well in all the other pre-hiring process. About to take a polygraph. Don't know what to expect. I've read a book on how even if you tell the truth you can fail. Is this true? I've heard you usually fail because you admit to something under pressure. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

[sneakerd]

They will ask you a number of simple, harmless questions to get a baseline reading on your heart rate, blood pressure etc. Then they'll get to the harder questions. The whole idea is -DON'T LIE. I believe they have to tell you what questions they will ask. Most everyone has done stupid stuff in the past. Just tell the truth and you'll be fine. They can't discover anything about you in a polygraph. They just want to know if you will lie about it.[Weight]

[flan7211]

Planning on being 100% honest on all the stupid things I've done in my life. Thanks.

[ScooterCO]

Thats right, they just want to know if you lie.

Relax and have fun.

[NukeRJ]

They ask you all of the questions ahead of time without being hooked up. Then they ask them all again when u are hooked up. The principle is that when a question that you are not honest about is asked the first time. You tend to remember where it was in the order. So When they ask the questions while hooked up. The anticipation prior to the question being asked is recorded. That is what they are looking for. What happens is when u answer the question of suspect, u are nervous and then after answered the body's natural reaction is to relax. So yes. Just relax and be honest. And be wary of one last trick. After the test they may leave and come back in and just ask "are you sure there isn't anything you want to change your answer on?" do not fall for this. It is an attempt to garner an admission to lying on the polygraph. Just stick to your answers and don't feel you have to clarify.
Hope that explains more of the science for you.

[Bailey Guns]

When I've taken them in the past it's gone like this:


Answer questions on a form - these are the same questions they'll ask you during the exam.
Examiner will go over your answers with you.
Examiner will explain the test.
Examiner will begin asking you questions starting with name, DOB, etc...
Examiner will ask you the same questions as were on the form. Example: "Other than what we discussed have you ever used illegal drugs?"
All answers will be "Yes" or "No" answers.Pretty simple and there won't be any surprise questions. Don't worry about it. Just be truthful on the form and with the examiner prior to the test.

[cstone]

100% honesty is best. Answer the questions and let them resolve any discrepancies after they run the sheets. There are always follow-up questions.

Do not self terminate the test. That is sometimes part of the test to see if you will endure. Also, when they tell you to relax and don't fidget, they mean it. Excessive or irregular breathing and squirming are sometimes regarded as counter-measures.

You don't want to work some place after you "beat" their polygraph (got away with a lie). During a 20+ year career, if your employer ever finds out you lied, you will be terminated as if you were a new employee. I've seen people with 10+ years in-service get walked out because they were tripped up on an update. Really sad when it is something that was considered a dis-qualifier when they applied many years ago, but now is considered a minor thing which is permitted for new hires (often this is minor drug use). Tough to see otherwise good employees tossed out and lose everything.

"Always tell the truth; then you don't have to remember anything. " Mark Twain

Good luck with the process.

[Monky]

As these guys have said just be honest..

They'll ask you questions.. then hook you up and ask again.. anything that didn't quite 'read' correctly he will rephrase and ask.

It is nerve wracking. Even if you are honest you'll still be nervous. Don't over think it too much. [Beer]

Oh and good luck :)

[flan7211]

Thanks gents, sound advice.

[ChunkyMonkey]

...or you can flunk it a few times and they won't bother you with it.

I flunk my own name. [Tooth]

[SideShow Bob]

Pucker your A- hole as tight as you can before answering every question.
Then they won't be able to tell when you are not truthful.

[OneGuy67]

Pucker your A- hole as tight as you can before answering every question.
Then they won't be able to tell when you are not truthful.

They have a new butt pad you sit on that actually measures this during the test. I wouldn't advise doing this.

My boss is a polygraph examiner as is one of my co-workers. The biggest part of the test is the pre-test where you spill your guts about everything you've ever done, all the pencils you've stolen, etc.

The questions will be gone over with you, there will be no surprises. If there is something irregular, they will stop the test after the first set of questions and ask you about it. Then conduct the test again. and possibly once again, depending upon your reactions.

Just relax, be honest. You will be okay. I've taken literally dozens of them.

[SA Friday]

Pucker your A- hole as tight as you can before answering every question.
Then they won't be able to tell when you are not truthful.

Do this and they will know. They will also end the poly and you fail, period. No job. Don't try to beat the poly. Just be honest and answer the questions truthfully. You will be fine.

[Aardvark]

Everything posted here is true to my experiences. Try to relax even if they sit you in an uncomfortable square backed wooden chair that wobbles. Butthole squeezing will only tip off the examiner that A) you're lying, B) you're about to crap yourself C) you're lying and crapping yourself. Let them know if you have any injury or painful parts as that will show on the needles if the pain occurs. They also have various other sensors (arms, ears, fingers, chest, waist, feet) that may be used. Chill. Relax. Be honest. Answers are "Yes" or "No". If you have to explain further, you'll get a chance. Sometimes, the tester will pause the test, grab his papers and walk out the room leaving you to 'sweat' for a few minutes. He/she may come back in and tell you there's something not quite right and wants to start over. This is also part of the test to see if you trip up and change answers or spill your guts on whatever. They typically will ask the same questions in a different form, 2,3,4 times. Chill, be calm, keep honest. Get a good sleep, no heavy booze or relaxers (pills), avoid lots of caffiene, get there a bit early to calm down after the hectic drive and drink some water.

[Mtn.man]

? # 10

Do you like Obama?

[Irving]

When I took mine, they asked way worse questions in the face to face interview than they did in the lie detector interview.

Also, when the examiner asks you what the biggest crime you've ever committed is, he won't be very amused when you answer "Grand Theft Napkin Dispenser."

True story.

[alxone]

the one and only time i took one i had a blast with it (i already had the job ) . tride the pucker trick , blatantly lied , mostly had a giggle fest (much to the annoyance to the test giver ) . but when i got the proverbial smack on the pee pee i acted right and passed no problem . like everyone says be honest and relax , being high strung or not taking it serious will not go over well at all .im sure you will do fine but good luck just the same .

[alxone]

"Grand Theft Napkin Dispenser."


oh do tell [ROFL1]

[AMD-65]

They will screw with your head. Polygraphs are stupid things. If they were so great in determining if a human being is lying why are they not admissible in court. Exactly. As far as beating one with proper training not going to happen. Unless you had some military training from the classified sector. You wont beat one. Remember they will run a test poly before they start the real test. They will ask you what is your name, when were you born, what is the date, and is it nice outside as an example. Remember what your body is doing in terms of physical and mental stress. When they ask you for the real questions this is where they will detect changes in your pulse, breathing and visual changes in your face and body. Remember dont pay attention to the stupid sounds the machine is making "scribbling on the paper" he will ask you questions over and over again and the paper sounds make people nervous. Hold to your answers. Most polygraph administrators are scum bags.

[AMD-65]

Wear boots with a steel toe, practice moving your toes without any visual movement being detected while sitting in a chair. Constant movement of toes throughout the entire process never stopping. Take this info as you will. This could be real info or this info could of came from a cracker jack box.

[cstone]

Most polygraphers have switched to laptops and no longer use the pen based systems.

The test is only as good as the operator. Depending on where the operator was trained, they may have enough training and experience that they are difficult to beat. Some operators are part timers who haven't done enough tests or haven't received enough training to make them effective. Even the best have bad days. There is a review/quality control process afterwards where a second polygrapher will re-score and review the results of the operator who administered the exam.

As mentioned before, there are no surprises. The pre-test questionnaire/interview is where most information is divulged. Once that is completed, the questions to be asked will be reviewed and the polygraph will begin. They are required to a minimum of three sheets for each battery of questions. Depending on the agency requirements that could be as few as one battery of questions or as many as five. Five batteries of three sheets is an all day process. Bare minimum figure on at least two hours and most of that is not while the machine is running.

For pre-employment polygraphs, it isn't worth trying to beat them. If they don't pick up on whatever it is you are trying to hide, then you will spend the rest of your career with that falsehood hanging over your head. Who would want to have 10 or 15 years invested to lose it all because they beat a polygraph at the beginning of their career? It's not worth it.

You know you've taken too many polygraphs when you start to doze off during one [Coffee]

[theGinsue]

As everyone else indicated, DO NOT LIE - be totally honest - they can tell.

Don't be surprised if they have cameras and recording equipment on you from the moment you walk in the door - the place I take mine does.

By the very nature of the polygraph you WILL be nervous (you can thank TV and the movies for that.

They will screw with you. I was told for the last series of questions that it indicated I was neither telling the truth nor lying. That's when he accused me of not focusing on the test - I was focusing on the test. As someone else said, they love to leave the room to "confer" with a collegue (sp?). Just sit tight and relax.

He also got a scratchy throat repeatedly towards the end and had to stop to drink some water and restart that series of questions all over again. It's usually a ploy to throw you off if you are trying to be deceiptful.

My best friend had a poly a month before me and during the test one of his legs got a muscle spasm. The test examiner got very angry with him for not sitting still. He tried to explain about the muscle spasm and she simply told him that if he didn't want to cooperate they'd reschedule the test (oh gawd, not another 4 hours at a later date!). They made him so nervous during the test that he had to pull to the side of the road while he was driving away and puke out the car window.

Just go in understanding that you will be nervous but knowing that you will be 100% honest - no matter what.

In the tests we receive, they ask have you hooked up and read you each series of questions - telling you one that they WANT you to lie to (baselining). The tough part is during the test for that series actually remembering which one you are supposed to lie on.

You need to site very still during the testing (even when not actively testing because those butt pads are sensitive and too much moving around will screw them up). When you answer you calmly say in a monotone voice either yes or no - nothing else.

Don't take too long to answer and don't answer too quickly - just answer like you're having a very casual conversation with your best friend.

Good luck and don't sweat it too much; the worst part in the self-intimidation of the danged things (again, thanks to TV and movies).

[ldmaster]

They are almost ALWAYS 'ex law enforcement' i.e. retired detectives.

The polygraph is like the radar gun, it only confirms what the examiner detects.

I know of several people who have failed their polygraph in one jurisdiction, and passed it in another. Sometimes the fail was ridiculous. One recorded his poly and the tape was just funny, nah, they didn't figure out what the pen was.

It's irrelevant, polygraphs don't really detect anything, they're stressors meant to make you reveal things under stress.

It's why the "best" polygraph guys are all ex-cops. They are already trained and practiced in the art of bullshit detection. Their very first job is to convince you that the polygraph WORKS that's it's accurate and that it never fails.

If that were true, it would be admissible as evidence.

never flunked a poly that I know of, always told them what I thought of the process. I can say that a whole buncha people that pass poly's HAD to be lying to do so. Drug use, for instance. "unrevealed criminal acts", etc... They're cops now, but all told me they never revealed that part of their past, even though they were asked to.

So a poly is worth exactly what the examiner is worth - and even then, it's not worth much. A good solid in-person background check will reveal more about you than a poly, heck, these days they requisition your online history as well - and THAT reveals a whole lot more than a poly will.

Don't lie, I mean why would you? Treat it the same way you would a physical agility exam, get through it, move on.

I mean look at the advice you've gotten from folks here who've been part of polygraphing, all this "seriousness" about it. it's a THING, you're not trying to beat anything, but make no mistake the whole process ISN'T about the machine detecting things about you, it's about the examiner. Otherwise, wouldn't a mono-tone tape recording of questions be JUST as effective?

[Irving]

Don't forget that people with long mustaches are 18% more likely to pass their tests.

[SideShow Bob]

Don't forget that people with long mustaches are 18% more likely to pass their tests.

???? Does the mustache hide the quiver of the upper lip ?

[flan7211]

Thank you friends. I have a good picture of how to approach this.[Beer]

[DocMedic]

Are we living in the 90's? Polygraphs have gotten real freaking advance since the "pen and paper scantron mcthingingy". Latest and "greatest" ones now strap to your head and read electro impulse from your brain to determine, "if your lying". They don't even ask for simple yes no questions anymore, but more thought answers are required. We had one at the clinic a year ago, and just for fun I tried to cheat the living hell out of it.. no way.

Best thing you can do is don't stress it, all the "tip tapping" isn't gonna effect anything.

[spyder]

Don't forget that people with long mustaches are 18% more likely to pass their tests.
Ya, but I heard that 65% of all statistics are made up, so, can we believe you? [Tooth]

[Byte Stryke]

Don't forget that people with long mustaches are 18% more likely to pass their tests.


Ya, but I heard that 65% of all statistics are made up, so, can we believe you? [Tooth]

its OK, 8/7ths of the U.S. Population doesn't understand fractions

[ROFL1]

[Colorado Osprey]

After taking many polygraphs and talking to many polygraphers they will admit that most of what they learn is actually what you tell them in the interview phase. The tests can be any outcome the tester wants. Now you know why most are not allowed as evidence in court.

The interview portion can be admissible in court as it is considered direct evidence admission statement from you.