So, ed, they told you well after the fact that you failed?  The polygrapher never said anything to you as to pass or fail?  That's weird.  It certainly is unorthodox.

My (sort of) similar tale:

I have had 2 polygraphs done within the past year as part of my probation that I am on.  One I was told I passed, and on the other I was given literally no opinion.  I was never told if I passed or failed, either from the interrogator or anyone else.  He seemed to be in a crabby mood that day, cussing at me once, being arrogant, and generally just being a jerk.

The second time, the same guy was very nice, and I passed.  The funny thing was that he did not hook all the equipment up to me- only 2 of the 3 measuring tools.  Naturally, I said nothing about it, and he was happy as a clam with me.  No way he could have missed it; he uses a computer poly, and one of the fields would have been flat line or off or signaling him to hook up the equipment properly.

I have wondered if, in my case, one of 3 things could be at work: (1) that they don't actually run any CQT at all, relying on admissions or confessions only and playacting the rest, (2) that they don't care what the results are, or (3) that they do care, but hide the results from you.  A (4) would be that they know -I know- their deal and just go through the motions.  I guess the (3) is possible, but again, what benefit would they derive by not trying to elicit a confession from you based on a "fail" result?  Even if they're lying to you, saying you failed when you didn't, it would seem a wasted opportunity.

Opinions welcome...

I am wondering what my next course of action should be. I have already asked about re-testing or an appeals process but this was basically laughed off. I have already put in my letter of resignation and dont know if I can get my current job back. It feels as though my back is against the wall. 

It is all too common for truthful persons to be falsely branded as liars by polygraph operators. The fact of the matter is that polygraph "testing" has no scientific basis whatsoever. It's sheer quackery, in the same league as such pseudosciences as phrenology and graphology.

But even by the low standards of the polygraph community, if your polygrapher found you to be "deceptive," you should have been confronted with the "test" results and provided an "opportunity" to respond.

Don't be ashamed. Be angry. Polygraph "testing" is a fraud, and you have been wronged.

Like you, I too was falsely accused of deception during a pre-employment polygraph examination. At first, I thought that perhaps there was something wrong with me. But upon researching polygraphy, I discovered that there was nothing wrong with my heart, lungs, or sweat glands that caused me to "fail" the polygraph.  Instead, it is polygraphy that has something wrong with it.

See The Lie Behind the Lie Detector for the truth about polygraphs, and pass it on to any relatives and friends who may question your integrity because of your polygraph results.

I took my first polygraph last Friday for a position within a local law enforcement organization. I was conditionally offered the position. The only condition was that I had to accept and pass a polygraph test. I meant to call a friend of mine who took it in order to get a feel for the environment and the types of questions they would ask. Unfortunately, he works 3rd shift and I didnt feel like it was a big deal anyways. After all I would be telling the truth. 

I had a good case of the nerves. "What if something goes wrong?". "What if I dont get this job?" (it was a good job with a significant increase in pay). First, I filled out a 110-120 question questionnaire regarding my history. Then I was led by the woman administering the test to the testing room. She was personable and gave me information on the test. She told me the questions she would ask and I answered them truthfully. Then she hooked me up with two finger probes and two across the chest devices as well as the inflated BP monitor. We went through the question set three times. I left within an hour of arriving confident that I did well. There was something odd about her behavior though at the end which made me uneasy but I was still confident. I went back to my current job and looked forward to enjoy the holiday weekend. 

Got a call this morning from the officer in charge of the department that the job was in and he told me that there were 3-4 areas (Im assuming questions) that were labeled as deceptive. I was then told that they were not going forward with their offer and that my candidacy was no longer valid. 

I am really bummed out about the results. Im at a loss. I now wish I had never accepted the conditional offer. I feel ashamed and branded. Will my family question me and look at me different because I falied a polygraph test? 

I dont know where to turn and what to do. I had to post this and get this off my chest.