wrote on May 13^th, 2018 at 4:03pm:

Maybe someone here can help calm my nerves and let me know if it’s over for me with this agency. I had my 1st polygraph recently and I thought it went rather well. The lady was very nice but she told me I hadn't passed the life style portion, specifically 3 questions: Serious Crime, Drug use in 2 years and falsifying information on my security forms. I was rescheduled for the next day to do that part over again. The next day, I met the new polygrapher and on the way to the room she came off incredibly nice, we made small talk and she even made a few jokes, but as soon as the door closed she was a completely different person. She grilled/interrogated me for nearly 5 hours on those 3 questions. Needless to say I haven't committed a serious crime and haven't done any drugs in 13 years nor did I lie on my forms. She didn't believe me and kept telling me I wasn't being honest and that unless I didn't confessed she would have to end the poly. I told her I want this job more than anything and I'm being 100% honest I haven't done anything wrong. She said "well unless you don't have anything to confess I have to end this." She unhooked me from the machine and told me I failed and that she would be surprised if I got a call back to do a retake. She told me there was no way I hadn’t done drugs in college, I’m allergic to marijuana, one puff and my throat constricts to where I can’t breathe. She said I could have done coke then, etc. In total, she ran at minimum of 10 charts but could have been up to 15 saying she needed more data. Every time she came back to the room she said "your holding back, you’re not giving me everything."  She did tell me that I was passing one chart but then would fail the next which must have been because “I’m lying.” I wasn't doing anything different the entire time. Half the poly was verbal "Yes" or "No" the other half was nodding and shaking my head. I was so upset that she told me I failed and that it was pretty much over for me with this job I honestly almost cried. She saw how upset I was, she told me in a soft voice, “I’ll work with you and go to bat for you if you just confess to what you have done.” I told her I haven't done anything wrong and I don't know what you want me to say. At that point she told me again that I failed, she opened the door and escorted me back to the lobby. Very strangely, as soon as we were out of that room she was incredibly friendly to me. I was nearly in tears from my 5 hour interrogation and hearing I wasn't getting this job and she’s laughing and carrying on making small talk with me. I honestly don’t know how I could have failed. I live a simplistic life, don’t drink or do drugs, I go to church, never been in trouble, graduated Valedictorian and had amazing references including the Mayor and now because of this polygraph I think my chances are over. What do you think? Did I truly fail or was this just some trick to see if I would crack? The background investigator did ask one of my references “what it would take to make me crack.” Thought that was weird. O and one more thing, near to the end she said because I was such a liar she feared I was a threat to national security and I must be trying to infiltrate their agency for malicious reasons. Absolute craziness. What do you all think?

Depends on which agency this was for. If it was the CIA or NRO, then you might have been an "Inconclusive." They do the post-interview interrogation on almost everyone. As long as you didn't make any admissions that weren't already disclosed on your security forms, nor gave a suspicious/deceptive impression, then you might be alright. Because you mention that they started your background investigation, it makes me think that your poly might have been inconclusive. As far as I know, the CIA/NRO and DIA do not start your background investigation if you failed the poly. However, I will say that your poly results can still come back to haunt you once you're in adjudication, in the form of a suitability denial. If your background checks out for the most part and they still don't feel right about you (for whatever strange reason), then they will likely just say you were found unsuitable for access to classified material due to information obtained from your polygraph. The suitability denial allows them to cut you without having to formally deny you clearance, which is both a good and bad thing: You can still obtain employment with most other government orgs that require a clearance; yet, as far as I know, you will likely not be able to work for the CIA or NRO in the future.

This information is just what I've pieced together myself and/or been told by more knowledgeable sources. So, if I am wrong on any account, then someone with greater knowledge than I, please chime in and correct me.

Would be great to hear what happens to you, good or bad. Good luck!