First and foremost, excellent website.
Recently, I was in the process of becoming a police cadet for a local department. Before the polygraph, I was given a fairly large questionnaire and was asked to 'truthfully' fill each out for a few times. As expected, it set the foundation to some of the questions which were asked during the initial polygraph examination.
Note: Although I had done nothing 'wrong' in the past, I was aware that the polygrapher knew that I wasn't an angel and even if I was, s(he) didn't want to believe it. Therefore, I had to make up some things which were 'wrong' - even if I didn't consider them to be/they didn't happen in the first place. Thanks to a little note pad file, I can recall some of the questions asked:
Before the polygraph:
-Stealing / Yes (Pens & paper clips).
-Sex in public? / Yes (Never did).
-Cheating? / Yes (Math class).
-Alcohol possession? / Yes (Legally in Europe).
During polygraph:
-Have you stolen anything else at work? / No (Never stole pens & paper clips in the first place).
-Lied to law enforcement? / No (Honest).
-Drugs? / No (Honest).
-Cheating other than math class? / No (Bull).
-Alcohol possession other than Europe? / No (Bull).
-People loosing trust? / Yes/No.

Even though I gave some 'bullshit' answers, I believe I passed because I made the polygrapher believe that I had disclosed everything before the actually test had begun, when I had not. Evidently, the disclosed items were either inexistent or inaccurate (Ex. I had cheated in classes other than Math, I had possessed alcohol as a minor way before I had visited Europe, etc).

I'm currently doing research because I'm thinking of becoming a Federal Air Marshal and I may be given the polygraph test again, as far as I can recall.

Good luck everyone. Hope my pass story helps everyone further on down the line.

T.M. Cullen wrote on May 12^th, 2008 at 6:13pm:


he,he,he, Dang TC, you had me going there for a second.  I thought something I said had actually sunk in.  

Until of course, I read your closing.  

Oh well, I still have some work to do...  

Sackett