I had my first polygraph ever today and I was very nervous in spite of having read on this website and trying to tell myself that polygraphy is a quack science and nothing more than a deception.  I shouldn't have been nervous at all because I truly have a clean history.  No criminal background, no drug usage of any kind ever, I barely even drink.  Yet I still could not shake being nervous.

The polygrapher made me wait a half hour before taking me into the examination room.  I assumed it was all part of his tactic to get to my nerves about the test.  He behaved weirdly continuously saying "So far so good..." in a nonchalant way and spitting imaginary bits from his mouth every 20 or so seconds.  It seemed as though he was trying to creep me out.

I was asked to sit in this low seated chair that I nearly sunk to the floor in and while comfortable made the polygrapher tower over me.  Again I felt this was all part of the tactic to unnerve me.

He began by asking me about why I was there for the polygraph and how many times I'd taken one before.  I explained that I have never taken a polygraph and that I was applying for a position with police dispatch in the city.

He went on to tell me about how there are 12 or so polygraphy technical schools in the country and that he had a degree in psychology.  Then he had me read a paper that basically stated that I was there of my own freewill and understand that a polygraph test can be stressful and all that.  Then he had me sign it.

He strapped on the armband and the chest straps used to measure breathing as well as the finger apparatus to measure perspiration.  I was told I had to sit perfectly still during the test otherwise there would be too much variation to get a good reading.  I felt like asking if the machine could not give a good reading if a person moves even just a little how they could rely on it so much but I knew that would be a bad idea so I kept it to myself.

After that he had me look at a row of numbers from 92 to 98 and circle the number 95.  He instructed me to write NO above 95 and asked me if I knew what I should answer when regarding 95.  I played dumb and questioned if I was supposed to say no to which he said very good then instructed me further to write LIE above NO.   

The polygrapher went on to explain that when you take a polygraph the machine differentiates between when I am being honest and when I am telling a lie and that when I deliberately lie regarding the number 95 the machine is going to pick up on that.  I had already read about this little test from this website so I played along and acted like I thought that was really cool.

He conducted the test with the numbers quickly asking if I circled each one.  After that he stated that I did well and that the machine was able to tell that I had actually circled number 95 and I must be a person of great integrity since the machine was able to get such a good reading from a question he asked me to lie about.  I wasn't falling for this but I just played along.

Then we read together the test questions.  Two sets if I remember correctly.  To be honest he went through them so fast I barely was able to hear them all let alone figure out which were control questions and which were the real questions.  One dealt with employment history and the other dealt with drugs and criminal background.

The test went fairly quick but he seemed to dwell on a money question.  He asked me if I had ever taken anything from a job.  Not that I know of so I said no.  Then he asked if I ever took money.  That was definitely not true so I said no again.  He then asked if I knew anything about money being taken to which I again replied no.  He moved on to other questions after that but I found it weird that he asked those three in succession.

After the test he said that I reacted to a question about my employer that I had a falling out with.  I don't recall him even asking me a question regarding that.  But I told him that as I explained on the application my boss and I had a disagreement due to a change in compensation he was planning which would effect our income and through the discussion we both decided it would be in all our best interests if I left the job so I did.  He told me to write down that explanation on a piece of paper.  I said I had already written it down on the application but he said I didn't and wanted me to write it now.

He also said that I reacted to the question about if someone could blackmail me or did I have something in my past that would embarrass the department.  Now I knew this guy was full of it.  I'm sure someone out there somewhere holds something against me but that would be personal not criminal as I’m sure every one of us does.   

He even was dictating to me what I should write.  I did not write what he told me to write which I could tell was annoying him because he would ask me to read back everything I wrote down to him and would frown when it didn’t match what he said.  He would try to get me to add more to again turn it around to more what he was saying and I told him I would not write that because it was not true.

He then said I reacted strongly to the question about drugs.  Now I can honestly say that I have never, ever touched a drug short of a nicotine filled cigarette.  Not even marijuana.  Never once in my life and I told him so.  He told me that I must know someone that I suspect or know to be doing drugs.

Now I started to get a little more nervous because I do suspect my brother is a user though I'm not close to him and we don't even talk.  I hear the stories from my mother.  So I told him this and he had me write that down.

After that he said that I would be contacted by the dispatch unit with the next step in the process and escorted me out very politely.

My question is this...  I'm now confused.  I felt like he interrogated me after the poly which would indicate that I failed but didn't say I failed and was quite pleasant to me after the experience.  So does it sound like I failed or was he just trying to see what he could fish out of me?  Or maybe both?

I hope I didn't fail.  I'm a college student studying Forensic Science and if I failed this poly I may never get work in Law Enforcement after graduation.  It would also kind of stink due to the fact that I have always lived my life as straight and narrow as I can because my drive to work in Law Enforcement has always been strong and to fail a polygraph would make all of that have been for nothing.

What do you guys think?  Am I just paranoid?