I personally did not take the polygraph examination, but my best friend just got word recently that he passed his.  He's a candidate for the state troopers in Nebraska and is a little apprehensive about posting his experiences here, so I'm doing it on his behalf (personally, I think he's a little paranoid, but the next step is the background investigation, and he seems to think that they're going to scour every inch of this earth for info. on him).  Anyway, he had some things in his past that would disqualify him from the troopers, namely some unsavory activities.  The point is, if he was completely forthright on his application or in the polygraph, they would have immediately dismissed him.  So, after having fudged a little bit on the application, he was informed that he would have to take the polygraph, which really shook him up.  Trust me, this guy is not a good liar, whatsoever, so the whole "you can beat the polygraph if you convince yourself it's the truth" would have had zero chance of working.  Not to mention that after having read (myself) a good deal of “The Lie Behind the Lie Detector,” that tactic wouldn't work no matter how "good" of a liar you are.  Nonetheless, once my buddy told me about having to take the polygraph, I took to the internet to see if I could find any useful information about "beating" the polygraph.  I eventually came upon this site and this book.  I skimmed through it a bit myself and was very impressed at the level of detail and citations that I found.  This looked like a very legit and thorough manual.  I printed it out and gave it to my buddy, who subsequently read the entire thing a number of times, focusing particularly on those parts that would be most beneficial during the polygraph.  Well, lo and behold, he went in for the polygraph, and he said it was like the guy was reading right from the book.  The relevant and control questions were easy to decipher, and he had very little trouble skating his way through.  And, like I said, he just got word that he passed!  Trust me, the polygraph CAN be beat, and this book is a major tool to help you accomplish that task.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it to anyone who is concerned that they may not pass the polygraph!