I just wanted to share my story.  I am a recent college grad and started my first real job a year ago.  The program I was working immediately put me through for an SCI clearance.  I filled out all the forms with complete honesty.   In november I was called in for a polygraph examination.  I had never heard anything about the process but I figured that if I went in and told the truth everything would be alright...  When i went to take the test I was so nervous and high strung that I really didn't think about anything else except for answering all the questions honestly.  And I ended up screwing myself.  When the examiner and I started talking about every drug I ever did or any bad thing I ever did, I basically just agreed with him on everything.  Just to keep him happy and it felt like I did just what I was suppose to do.  At the end of the exam I was told that I passed. I just found out last week that my clearance was denied and they never did any sort of investigation on me.  I was never interviewed except at the polygraph, they never talked to any of my friends of family either.  I have not even received the letter telling me why I didn't get access.  Only if I would have found this website earlier, I would have realized that the polygraph exam is nothing but a slimy interigation thats used to get people to incriminate themselves.  I am hoping to appeal and perhaps hire a lawyer.  I'm not sure if there is an appeal process for SCI clearances so anyone with an idea of the best way to start the appeal or know any good lawyers your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Screwed:

I can understand why you felt pressured to go along with the examiner's little game, particularly considering  your age and that fact that this was your first job. It made you more vulnerable to getting lured into the spider's web, so to speak. The pressures some examiners place on applicants can be unreal and they can be tough to resist. I'm sure the examiner made you feel like everything would be okay as long as you went along with whatever he had to say. It is too bad that you agreed to things that weren't true, but you shouldn't beat yourself up over it. No one but you knows what it was like when you took your poly. I don't have much advice on your appeal as my experience was with a federal agency. Good luck.