50 mg of Lopressor and 1 mg of Xanax to cool the nerves and allow ME to be in control of how I felt, not them.  I read "The Lie Behind the Lie Detector" so I knew what to expect.  When I went in there they tried the same old shenanigans to try to get me worked up about the polygraph.  I acted like I was new to it all and I pretended to eat it all up like "gee golly, it can do all that?"  I almost felt bad for the investigator because I knew how full of crap they were but they were really trying to get me to believe them.  I tightened my butthole during the control questions and said "no" during the the relevant ones.   

They even tried some other tricks like saying their readings were off and they needed me to do one thing or another.  The investigator said I needed to let my body do what it was doing naturally and quit trying to "beat the test".  Of course I didn't believe that the squiggles on the sheet led them to believe that, but it was a ruse to make me even more nervous.  I just acted like I was so scared I'd fail and I was doing the best I could.  "I'm sorry!  This means so much to me, I'm trying!  I really am!"  In my mind, "a hyuck-hyuck-hyuck!"    

They must have been frustrated or thought I was an unshakeable stone-cold bad ass because my heart beat didn't change tempo one bit, and it took everything I had not to smirk.

The only thing I really needed to lie on was the drug usage.  I did just about everything under the sun once just to experiment, and I smoked weed casually on the weekends for about 3 years, all over ten years ago.  Whoopty fucking doo.  I'm in better shape than every other applicant that was there, regularly go to the gun range and participate in shooting competitions and have a solid work ethic and 135 IQ.  I think I'll make a fine LEO, as all that bullshit is behind me.  I understand the police department does what it can to limit its exposure to shitty applicants, so they try to accept only the cream of the crop, but it's still some goddam bullshit that I'd be DQ'd for that.

Thanks, antipolygraph.org!

You’re so full of crap! Nothing will help you pass. How about just telling the truth!!!

Drugs such as xanax, ritalin, etc, will not trick the machine.  During the pre test process, the examiner will notice skewed results and can determine whether or not the polygraph can be accurately given while you are on the drugs. Most cases where drugs are used illegally in a manner to BEAT the test, results came back inconclusive, and the examinerest may recommend a drug test be given before you are tested again! So you do not PASS OR FAIL. So you are just a deceptive person. 
Deceptive -tending or having power to cause someone to accept as true or valid what is false and invalid  watch Steve Wilkes even a dumbass can figure it out!

Could you point out to me any articles or book chapters from the anti lit that explains precisely how such drugs defeat the examiners determination?