So, about 10 years ago I was in college.  I knew I wanted to go into criminal justice, possibly do police work, that sort of thing.  I was about 19 or 20 at the time.  I was able to arrange to work an internship with the robbery/homicide division of one of the local LEOs.  Apparently, they polygraph everybody, including translators, administrative staff, etc.  Before then, I knew nothing about the polygraph other than what you see on TV.

So I go into the interview room and do the standard thing.  I get asked a ton of questions regarding my character and so on, the usual polygraph deal.  Have you ever lied to get out of trouble, have you ever stolen anything, like a pencil, etc.  But that whole process got me thinking, especially when it came to the sex questions.   

For example, the interviewer asked me "have you ever been involved in voyeuristic activities," to which I responded, after thinking for a moment, "no, I have not."  The investigator then said "you hesitated for a bit there.  What's up?"  I then told him that sometimes while walking home on the sidewalk I might see a woman changing in the window and stop to watch.  The investigator said that this was normal, I wasn't trespassing, and everything was visible from the street, so it didn't count.  That, however got me all bothered just in time for the questions involving child pornography.

You see, I'm part of the generation that was on the cutting edge of the internet.  Growing up with limited supervision, I had an AOL account when I was 14.  In those days, stuff like "sexting" wasn't really well known.  So, being a typical horny 14 year old with an internet connection, I went to town, cybering, sexting, and so on (though I don't think I ever took any pictures of myself that I can recall). Never met anyone or did anything inappropriate, but such is life.

In any case, I passed the polygraph, probably because I lumped those sexual behavior questions in with the control "have you ever lied to get out of trouble" type questions.  However, the whole focus on my sexual life really troubled me.  Because by cybering with kids that were my age at the time, I felt that I had become some sort of horrible sexual deviant and had traded in underage pr0n with my peers.

This in turn triggered a whole OCD-type breakdown where I was filled with self-loathing, contemplated suicide, and actually began to wonder if I might lose control and lash out at children or "do something bad" and for a while I was suicidal.  Eventually, I got treatment, was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder that was triggered by these extremely uncomfortable thoughts that I had been forced to confront during my polygraph, and started taking medication.

Over the years, it became something I stopped worrying about.  In fact years later, when in grad school, I actually took a course on the investigation of child abuse which was taught by one of the Air Force's top child abuse investigators, to test myself and see if I could do it.  I got an A in the class, and wasn't once bothered by intrusive thoughts.

So, after graduating, I applied to become a police officer with another, different local LEO.  I was a little apprehensive of the polygraph, as it had been years since my last poly and in the meantime I'd had my OCD triggering episode, but I figured that since I had told the truth last time and passed, I should be fine this time too.

In the pre-interview process, I told the investigator everything.  Cybering, seeing/seeking nudes and pr0n of girls under 18 when I was under 18, etc, not because I was a pedophile, but because at the time, I was not attracted to bleach-blonde pr0nstars, but people who looked like me: kids with internet connections, hormones in overdrive, and and a webcam.  For the most part, the investigator said it wasn't a problem, that had happened when I was a kid, I obviously wasn't looking to exploit children as an adult, and all that good stuff.  I felt a lot better, and was ready for the poly.

Amazingly, after running 4 sets, I was told I failed.  Specifically, the sex questions.  I think it got worse, because after each set the investigator asked me if there was anything I wanted to tell him about my sex questions, and I said that no, but at the same time was wracking my brain for anything that I could think of.  At at least one point, I thought about making something up.  It just blew my mind that I could be totally honest and fail a polygraph test.

Then I started doing some research and came across this site.  I was amazed to discover how many people fail the polygraph because they are TOO honest and can't learn to "let go" of their past actions, constantly sifting over these misdeeds in order to find additional details that might please the interviewer.

Recently, I was accepted in the initial stages of pre-employment screening for a federal law enforcement position.  I want the position.  While I already have a well-paying job in an investigative capacity as a federal contractor doing security-clearance related matters for background investigations, I really want this job.  So, I don't know what I'm going to do.  I worry that if I go in to the interview and tell them what I know, they will simply accuse me of using countermeasures and fail me without giving me a chance.  Alternatively, I could try to "pass" the polygraph straight up and hope that for whatever reason, I pass simply by telling the truth (though obviously that didn't work out great for me last time), or try to pass using the knowledge I gained from this site regarding how the polygraph works (not employing countermeasures, but simply learning to tell the relevant questions from the control ones).

Thoughts?  Thanks in advance!