I knew little about polygraphs before the exam given to me.  I've learned more now from this site and other places.  I believe that I just didn't react much to anything and only passed when I reacted to two boggus "control" questions I was hammered on.  I was lied to over 6 times and all the psychological gimmicks were just sad.  Yes at first I did tell the whole truth even on control questions and then when I lied on them during the last 2 batteries of questions I "passed"
Fortunately I'm not one to get very nervous or react to things or I probably would have failed and been unable to recover like I did.
This test is a sad way to judge people.
All of this from someone who "passed" and was accepted into a law enforcement job.

concerned wrote on Aug 20^th, 2004 at 8:30pm:


Congratulations "concerned."

If you could would you tell us what polygraph knowledge you had prior to the test. Also, did you at first answer the controls with a "yes"?  I don't quite understand how you handled the control Q's both before and after you reaized you were expected to "lie."

-Marty

Concerned,

How does the ACLU fit into this? as you stated  "anti ACLU kind of person."   

Also, congrats on passing! I'm curious to know if you used countermeasures and which ones?   

I myself was honest on my appl. & polys and wanted to go the "honest" approach trusting in the "system".  That got me nowhere close to Q, and still at my lifeless job that I never dreamed of having.


Yoda

I am a pro-America, pro-police, anti ACLU kind of person.  However, after recently taking the polygraph test, I'm most concerned about law enforcement in America.  How can anyone of reasonable intelligence believe this test has any value?  I was lied to on six different occassions during the exam.  I received an hour of disinformation before the test began.  Then I was told the machine could measure "brain waves" and "know exactly what you're thinking".  I was so close to laughing.  Sadly, I only passed after I figured that the examiner wanted me to lie on control questions that I was hammered on.  Yes, I passed and deserved to as I was hiding nothing.  Yet it took lying on control questions to pass as my readings were at first inconclusive.   
Its a tough spot. One must do something to screen law enforcement people.  Yet this test is scary as I can see how practice could make a criminal or spy or other bad person pass easily.  I hope some other psycological test can be invented.   
I have nothing against my examiner as I believe he wanted me to pass and was trying very hard to see if I had an admissions to make to him to protect his agency, which of course I did not.
We need a better way!!!!!!