The following is my experience with the USSS polygraph exam. I will not use the name of the examiner or location of my testing site. I can honestly say that I didn't know of this site before my exam but I wish I had. This was not my first polygraph exam, I had completed one with another agency previously which I was told immediately after that I was moving onto the next phase. The USSS poly was a different story and I will provide details about my experience. When I arrived at the building, I checked in with a receptionist and shortly after the polygraph examiner came and escorted me to a small testing room. We did an interview, he asked about where I was from, where I went to high school, college, work, where I've lived, hobbies, family, etc. I also signed paperwork, was read my rights, and was told that I could leave at anytime if I desired. I was brought back to the lobby, He returned shortly and began the test, he started by doing the "calibration" test where they have you write a number on a paper, tape it in front of you on the wall and while hooked up to the machine, you are told to lie about writing the number so that the machine can see when you tell an obvious lie. I now know that this test is to get your confidence in the test process of the polygraph. He told me that I was a terrible liar and that the poly could easily tell that I was lying about writing the number. He then began the yes/no questions, he then had me answer the same questions but to just nod yes/no and a third test where I just was supposed to think yes/no in my mind when he asked the questions. (Like the poly test or this guy can read my mind!!!!) He brought me back to the lobby and I was brought back into the test room but this time his attitude and tone had changed. He also maneuvered his chair to be closer to mine, he began by saying that normally I wouldn't get an explanation just a handshake and good luck but since he could tell that I was a "good" candidate and a "good" person he was giving me an opportunity here. He said that I was somehow changing my body and trying to alter the outcome of my exam. He said that I only had an issue with the integrity/character questions. He accused me of being dishonest to previous employers, being a cheater in higher education and lying to my family and he said he believed that I was lying when it came to previous drug use. For the record I've always been honest with my employers(If they would have been asked about me, which they weren't) he would have gotten his facts straight. I also have earned every grade that I have received in college on my OWN. I have always been honest with my family in everything, His accusations were highly offensive and demeaning to me. I also have never ever done a drug in my lifetime, ever. He proceeded to tell me that they are only concerned that a certain amount of time has passed since your last drug use, (Were not looking for perfect people here he said) I said I'm not perfect or trying to be but that I never have done a drug ever. He said that HQ would see what he had seen on the test and that now was my opportunity to "Come Clean" so to speak. I had a back and forth with this man for several minutes, I wasn't going to have someone that I just met or even the go between to me moving on to the next step of a hiring process to demean me or trash my character and integrity. I stood up for myself when I was in there and I don't regret saying that I felt offended when he was questioning my character. He had me fill out an amendment paper giving reasons for my answers, I was told that I could possibly get another exam date in the future because this exam was incomplete. The examiner was professional but he also was very sly and arrogant in my opinion during the post test "interrogation". I felt like a criminal when I walked out of the building. I can't believe that agencies take the result of this test, over interviewing and questioning former employers, family, friends, neighbors, of potential employees about their integrity and work ethic and character. Just sad. I guess that if I was a drug addict that would be ok with them just as long as 10 years had passed since using. Unbelievable. Word of advice to anyone who is subjected to this polygraph experience. Good Luck.

He never said that I passed or failed, unlike a previous poly I had where they told me I had passed right then and there. He was trying to get me to confess to something though, more like he wanted me to "confess" with trying to toy with the test itself by physically "altering" my body. He kept saying I was moving, when I was not, that I was trying to alter my breathing and blood pressure when I was not. I honestly had the same questions asked to me that I had in a previous poly by another agency. I answered them the same way, yet this man gave me a hard time. He also kept asking me what I knew about the polygraph test, did I study or research about the test, did I visit websites or read up on the polygraph. Very strange. He said that without the amendment paper being filled out and attached to my exam result, the HQ people would surely see what he had seen and I would be disqualified. He said that people in the past had filled out the paper I had and they had gotten second poly exams. The paper was like a "Second Chance" so to speak. The paper was like an excuse form, why I felt like some of the questions found me unfavorable. I had to initial and sign after filling it out. I did say I was super nervous but he said that was not good enough. I felt like it was for him to be covered mostly though. He had me read what I had written down out loud to him, again covering himself in my opinion. He was also very concerned that he was conducting himself professionally, he asked me several times if I felt like he was being professional with me, the process being recorded and all. He did say to me that he had trouble getting a clear read on me that is why he did the second nod test and the third test where I had to just think yes or no when questioned. Honestly I felt like they just need to weed out a certain amount of people in the hiring process and this is what it came down to for me. It was very odd. Told me it would be 2-3 weeks to hear back, received rejection email 24 hrs later. Reached out to agency via email about my poly that I experienced, they said I could file a motion of some sorts, file a complaint. I've moved on elsewhere.