silentfury,

At least you knew what you may have been getting yourself into--reading this forum before submitting to an FBI poly. That's more than I can say for myself--I foolishly submitted to one with the strong belief that it was  a reliable test and without even so much as mentioning it to several people I know and trust in LE or researching it at all. I could never have imagined the federal government would be using such an inept so-called testing procedure to select its employees. Unreal. Just curious--why on earth did you submit to an FBI poly after reading this forum?

If I had even a clue as to the 20% failure rate that the FBI admits to, I would never have taken one. That high rate is an obvious red flag--there couldn't possibly be that many drug dealers, users, spies in the number of FBI applicants.   

Anyway, good luck to you in your future professional pursuits. 

P.S. You'd have a much better chance passing a magic 8 ball test than a second FBI poly--at least the 8 ball isn't rigged.

Thanks for the response.  I've been reading these forums for a few months, ever since I knew I was going to take a poly.  I'm going to contest the results, but if offered a restest I'll tell them that we should just save 3 hours and just use a magic 8 ball.

I think the reason I'm not as upset as I should be is because after reading these forums I knew this outcome would be a very real possibility and that this crap shoot was just part of the process.  It's unfair, and ridiculous, but in the end, it's the FBI's loss.  I was willing to relocate to relocate far from my family and friends, take a pay cut, and reside in a city with a huge cost of living.  If they really want to rely on the poly for letting people in, that's their problem.  And I will laugh my ass off every time a spy is discovered in their midsts.

silent fury,

You may not be pissed now, but just wait until you get your "not within acceptable parameters" letter and realize how you were duped into submitting to a ridiculous application process that includes a so-called testing procedure about as accurate as a flip of a coin--one that you and other taxpayers are footing the bill for. Not only that, but that the FBI used it solely to disqualify you from the position for which you applied and allowed its polygrapher to play mind games with you and treat you like a disposable commodity. It doesn't stop there, you'll also find out that your name is now on a list along with all the other polygraph failures--not a gold star. This could affect your future employment. Pissed yet? If not, you will be after you get over the shock of what's happened to you. 


P.S. Yes, to answer your question, that is all she wrote--but it doesn't have to be. You can appeal the decision. If granted a re-test the agency will put you through the charade of a second test which will be a pre-determined failure. 

I just got back from my FBI polygraph where the "tester" told me that I failed the test, but they would still be sent to Washington for further review.  I don't know if this is just part of the mind-f*** to see my reaction or if I really did fail and my hopes of working for the FBI have truly shriveled up.

The experience was almost the same as everyone elses except I didn't expect the examiner to look at me like a mass murderer when I admitted to underage drinking (7 years ago) and cheating once on a test.  I laughed inside though when she went from being mean and saying how much of a piece of crap I was, to asking me how my recent wedding was!

I also find it odd that I was told during the stim test that I wasn't breathing normally and needed to concentrate on my breathing.  Then at the end of the test she told me that my charts looked like I was using counter-measures because I was concentrating on my breathing.  She also said that I was having trouble with the drug question, which we had discussed at length before the test and I wasn't nervous about, and the question regarding contacts with foreign intel agencies which is ridiculous.  I served in the Iraq war and consider my self a partiot.  The thought of selling my country out for anything is just funny.

Oddly enough though, I'm not really that pissed about it.  I don't know if it's because it hasn't sunk in yet, or because I know who I am, that I'm an honest person, and that it's the Bureau's loss if they decide to hire me based on a "test" and not the things I've done.