In an article titled, “FBI Flooded With Applicants,” Los Angeles Times staff writer William Overend reports that about 20% of special agent applicants who make it as far as the polygraph fail it. Excerpt:
Mike Hilliard, who retired three years ago after 21 years as the chief recruiting agent in Los Angeles, estimated that about half of those who take the written test pass it and advance to competitive oral interviews.
Then comes a physical exam and an FBI polygraph test, mostly on national security and drug use questions. (A serious drug history disqualifies a candidate, but very limited drug experimentation doesn’t.)
Hilliard said that about 20% of those who make it to the polygraph stage fail the test.