Polygraph

[TX Kid]

Alright, I'm sure this has been posted before but I want some new opinions. I found out that i passed my oral review board thing for the dispatcher job, in fact, this lady said i did really good. My next question for those of you that have been through it is this, what do they usually ask at the polygraph? I know things like "have you ever done drugs?" and also like "did you ever steal from anyone or anywhere?", what I am most worried about is if they willl ask things that are like off the wall b/c i really don't want to seem shocked and end up getting really nervous throwing off the little lines, and them be like, well, your are lying. So if you could just post some general questions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in Advance.

[Stump]

Do a search on polys on this site. You'll get a wealth of info.

Just keep in mind that you will be reviewing the questions before the actual test, so you won't be suprised at all, and you'll be able to rationalize your answers. They do that so in case you have any concerns about how to answer a question, you can resolve it before the test.

[TX Kid]

you mean.... i get to know what they ask before they ask it?

[Stump]

Of course. Its not going to be thrown at you. It is a common misconception about polygraphs.
The object isn't to suprise you about these things.

[Stump]

**** Don't stress about it - don't overthink it, don't overanalyze it!!! Its not a big deal. ****

(taken from another posting I made in another thread)

The polygraph asks the yes or no questions, but the examiner asks a whole bunch of questions before the polygraph. That way you can rationalize your answers.

In using Scruit's example: he kissed and hugged a girl. When he talks to the poly guy, the guy will say "Have you ever cheated on your wife?" Scruit can say "I hugged and kissed a girl". Now, the poly examiner has that as an answer (admissible in court), and when he asks the poly question "Other than what you have told me, have you ever cheated on your wife?" The idea is that Scruit's conscience is clear and he can truthfully answer with a NO.

Another example (this was my test): the examiner asked "Have you ever stolen anything?" I told him that I had talked to a friend about this question, and it was actually quite vague. I mean, if I am at work and use the stapler to staple some of my school papers together, I actually have stolen the staple. Same thing with accidentally taking a pen home from work, or even a rubber band. So, I could not answer NO truthfully because in my mind I steal from my employer. He then qualified his question with "Other than what you have told me... ". That way I could answer NO without worrying about my subconscious reacting.

[Stump]

I meant to mention that you might not be aware of. The poly exam is given to you 3 times in one sitting. They ask the same set of questions each time to confirm that your answers are maintaining the same heart/pulse rate. The last set of questions was switched around for me, but I'm not sure if that is just my dept or if all do that.
They'll ask "base" questions (they'll explain it all to you beforehand what they are going to do). "Is today's date XXX" " Is today XXX" kind of things.

[TX Kid]

i have nothing to worry about, i have never done anything wrong. I'm just worried they may read it wrong, or say i am hiding something or whatever. I really appreciate all of your help on this topic. It won't be for a while, i think two weeks the background investigator will call me for my polygraph. Wait, when i was younger i took like change from my parents coin jars, would that d/q me?

[Stump]

I'll tell you what I told my examiners. When I was 3, I took a pair of plastic shoes off a Barbie doll on display at a department store. They all just laughed at me. I don't think change from Mom/Dad would count as a DQ, but you should mention it. If it is in your head as "I stole it", then that will show up as indication of deception on the poly. That's why I said "don't overthink it". If it isn't in your head, then you don't have to worry about it. If you read all sorts of anti-poly stuff (I'll be nice and not call it crap), then you will have a prejudice against the test.(that's not the word I want, but you get the point)

[TX Kid]

So then, as long as it's not in my head as stealing, or as something that would bother me if I didn't tell them about, then it's all gravy right? Basically tell them everything before and then they'll ask the "other than what you have told me questions" and I should be good right? Thanks for all of your help. I found out today they are calling all of my references for my background, i'm kinda worried some of the people won't remember me that good b/c my parents have always been military so we move around a whole bunch. They should understand that right?

[George Maschke]

Originally posted by TX Kid
Alright, I'm sure this has been posted before but I want some new opinions. I found out that i passed my oral review board thing for the dispatcher job, in fact, this lady said i did really good. My next question for those of you that have been through it is this, what do they usually ask at the polygraph? I know things like "have you ever done drugs?" and also like "did you ever steal from anyone or anywhere?", what I am most worried about is if they willl ask things that are like off the wall b/c i really don't want to seem shocked and end up getting really nervous throwing off the little lines, and them be like, well, your are lying. So if you could just post some general questions I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in Advance.

TX Kid,

You'll find a thorough description of how a polygraph examination is administered and scored, including examples of questions typically asked during law enforcement pre-employment polygraphs, in Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector, which you can download here (it's a 1 mb PDF file):

http://antipolygraph.org/lie-behind-...e-detector.pdf

[TX Kid]

Mr. George, I am not trying to start a fight or anything, but personally, I do think, IMO, that you are an idiot for expecting me to go to an anti-poly site before I am to take a poly. There would be no point. A poly is something required for this position and I respect that and am willing to follow the rules and regulations of the department for the hiring process. I am not trying to beat the polygraph, only gain a bit of knowledge on what to expect. Thanks for your input though.

Justin

[George Maschke]

Justin,

You asked a question, and I pointed you to responsive information that is based largely on documentation produced by the polygraph community itself, with references that you can check for yourself. If you don't want to even consider this information, so be it. Good luck to you.

[Stump]

Good job, TX.
:D
Feel free to ask anything else you are curious about.

[TX Kid]

Mr. George, I just don't see how you pointed me towards a quality site when it has the word "anti" in it. I wasn't dissing the site at all, I just don't feel it would help me too much as I have heard the test administrator will ask if I knew of ways to "beat" a poly, and I'd hate to have to make myself look bad by saying yes I do. I was more looking for weird off the wall questions that they may ask, not for general things.

Stump, thanks for the information already given to me, and thanks for any further information you (or anyone else) could provide to me.

Justin

[metallicat]

George,

You are corrupting the minds of people here, and making them have thoughts about trying to cheat a polygraph exam. You are a man with poor morals and ethics, and I don't think it is right that you come here suggesting anyone to read your website information when admitting to doing so could get a police applicant in a lot of trouble.

You need to be banned from this website.