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Posted by blindsided
 - Nov 19, 2010, 11:00 AM
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. The agency was just my local sheriffs department. Thanks for clarifying what type of test I was taking, I was kind of confused because I felt like I wasn't getting any control questions at all, but now it makes sense.

Thanks for the link, I just started reading and it is very interesting.
Posted by George W. Maschke
 - Nov 19, 2010, 04:57 AM
Quote from: blindsided on Nov 19, 2010, 12:13 AMWhy would they have me retake the polygraph? Is it because they thought I was lying? I wonder why they didn't just eliminate me from the process if they thought I was lying since they have 30 more people than they need for the position anyways?

You didn't say what agency administered the polygraph interrogation. If it was the CIA or NSA, then you should be aware that it is quite common--if not standard operating procedure--for these agencies' polygraph operators to initially accuse applicants of "having problems," grilling them for admissions, and then bringing them back for one or more follow-up sessions.

QuoteHas anyone else ever had a polygraph that focused only on one type of question?

That is not unusual.

QuoteIf I wasn't asked any follow up questions after finishing the second polygraph, is that a good thing?

Yes.

QuoteAll my control questions were stuff like "are you from a state you are not from"

Is that common?

The question about what state you are from is not a "control" question. It's an irrelevant question, and it is not scored. It's possible that the polygraph technique you encountered was the relevant/irrelevant "test," the standard technique employed by the CIA and NSA since the 1950s. You'll find this long discredited technique explained in Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector (1 mb PDF).
Posted by blindsided
 - Nov 19, 2010, 12:13 AM
For pre-employment, I was asked to take a polygraph, written test, and physical test. After I did all of these, I was hired contingent upon passing some other things, (medical exam, drug test, psychological test). I was one of the few people that also had to take the polygraph again. No one told me why, they just signed me up to take it again along with all the other stuff.

The second polygraph focused only on one 1 type of question from the first polygraph (a question I was asked at the end of the first test to see if I had anything else to tell him about it, i.e to see if I would confess to doing something).  He told me straight up that they had an issue with that question type on the first test, and asked me if there was anything I didn't tell him then. I said no (he seemed a little annoyed) then I took the test.

At the end of the second exam, he( the examiner), did not ask me any questions to try to get me to confess anything like he did for my first exam, he only told me that the results would be sent to the employer in a week.

Why would they have me retake the polygraph? Is it because they thought I was lying? I wonder why they didn't just eliminate me from the process if they thought I was lying since they have 30 more people than they need for the position anyways?

I don't know why I am posting this, I guess I am just nervous that I'm not going to get the job because apparently my blood pressure and breathing reacts to questions of that particular type even though I wasn't lying when I said I had never done it.

Has anyone else ever had a polygraph that focused only on one type of question? If I wasn't asked any follow up questions after finishing the second polygraph, is that a good thing?

Oh well, hopefully I get the job, I really need it haha. Thanks for reading.

EDIT-

All my control questions were stuff like "are you from a state you are not from"

Is that common?