Well like I said in the original post, I've done things that we all expect people to do (drink underage, a fight or two in high school, etc...) but never anything major. I always put great pride in the fact I'd never even experimented with marijuana or anything.

It's just such an embarrassment when you are accused of something that is simply not true. Almost like you have a scarlet letter put on you. If you would have told me five years ago that I would not be a police officer at this point in my life, I would have simply called you crazy.

There are some great jobs out there currently that I would like to apply for, but to be honest I am hesitant in doing so because I don't know how the past polygraph would be looked at. I almost feel like I would quite possibly be failed again on the same question...maybe I am being way too dramatic...who knows.

Sounds like my experience with the FBI a few years ago, and I have never used illegal drugs in my life, rarely drink and don't smoke.  I think what may have set things up for my failure was my admission of some underage drinking at college and being offered hallucinogens when I was visiting Jamaica several years ago.  Don't admit anything not asked.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't mention your past polygraph experience unless and until asked.

There is no questions asked that I would disclose it, I was just trying to ask if the best course is to disclose right at the beginning of the application process or when you do the pre-polygraph interview.

Whether or not to disclose your past polygraph experience is an ethical choice that I'm afraid I cannot help you make.

Thanks for the feedback. I wish there was a way to start with a clean slate and not have to worry about that past test. Is the best way to about things just to tell them about the test, then I assume they contact that agency? Then you take the polygraph with the other agency and just let the chips fall where they may?

confused_mind wrote on Aug 7^th, 2009 at 12:28pm:


I don't think it's possible to quantify that. When a polygrapher asks you about any past experiences with the polygraph, and you disclose that you previously failed a polygraph with regard to the issue of illegal drug use, it's predictably going to create a bias against you in the polygrapher's mind. But how strong a bias, and what it's ultimate impact might be, cannot be foretold.

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I think you may well be, if you go in for yet another polygraph session without first educating yourself about polygraph procedure and that which can be done to protect oneself against the risk of yet another false positive outcome. See The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (1 mb PDF), especially Chapters 3 & 4, for more in this regard.

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If you don't know, how could anyone else? I fully agree that being falsely accused of using illegal drugs based on nothing more than a polygraph chartgazer's say-so is an insult. Because of this, you are probably now sensitized to the drug question, and it wouldn't be surprising if you were now to react when asked about illegal drug use simply because of your past experience of being falsely accused by a polygrapher.

Hello all, I took a polygraph about three years ago for an internship while I was in college and was told I had failed. It has bothered me ever since, so I had some questions.

I'd like to make a few things clear first...

1. I am not on here looking for tactics on how to beat the polygraph, countermeasures show a lack of integrity if you ask me.

2. I am looking for some honest feedback

The agency that I took the polygraph with will remain unamed, it was not a federal agency. Basically I was told the last process was to take a polygraph and I thought not big deal, I had nothing to hide so this should be simple. 

I went in and did the whole pre-interview, etc... discussed things in my past that I had done, some of which I am not so proud of but we have all been there. I fully admit to have been in the presence of marijuana at some events during college mainly. However, I have never tried a drug in my life...marijuana included, not even one experimental time. I pride myself on this, as a lot of people cannot say that.

So basically after the test, I get called back in the room and told that I had reacted on the question dealing with drug usage. I was in disbelief, there was no way this could be possible. The examiner asked me to think of something that could have caused the reaction. He made suggestions like maybe I tried it once but didn't inhale or simulated usage. I told the examiner absolutely not, that I had neve used drugs or even acted like I had used them. 

This basically put us at a stand still and I was told that there was something there because if I had disclosed, there would be no reaction. So the day ended and I was told when I left there were no problems except the drug question, 11 days later I had found out that I failed.

This has been the most embarrassing thing in my whole life, I have tore my background up from top to bottom trying to think or find something that I could have left out and there is nothing in regards to this question. I never did contest the results because I was in disbelief and didn't realize it was crucial to do so.

With that being said, I have recently started to hit the job front and I am looking at law enforcement jobs that require either a CVSA or polygraph.

The questions I have are as follows...

1. How bad is this failed polygraph going to hurt as an applicant with an agency that requires one? (I know that it will have to be disclosed)

2. Am I setting myself up for failure since I have already been labeled a liar once?

3. What could have caused the reaction? To this day I still have no answers, I have never used any illegal drug of any kind. It not only insults my integrity but my character to tell me I have and that hurts me the most.

Sorry for the length of this thread, this is something that has bothered me ever since I was told I failed a question on drug usage. I've been searching for answers ever since and I honestly can't find any.