Need Help (Sorry, Long Post!)

[John (Guest)]

I am looking into applying w/ a local LE agency,  there application has a list of the poly questions.  I have read the Lie Behind...., but I am looking for some help from the pros to make sure I understand all the types of questions.
(all questions are Y or N)

General Questions
1. Have you told me your correct name?
2. Have you told me your correct age?
3. Have you ever had a polygraph test before?
4. Have you taken any drugs or medicine today?
5. Have you been truthful about your military record?
6. Are you eligble to work in the United States?
7. Have you been truthful about your education?
8. Do you live at the address listed on the application?
9. Do you ever drink on the job?

Responsibility and Stability Questions
10. Do you feel qualified for this job?
11. Are you seeking permanent employment?
12. Have you ever been fired for dishonesty?
13. Have you ever quit a job without required notice?
14. Have you flasified any part of your application?
15. Have you told the truth about your employment?
16. Did you deliberately leave any employer off your application?
17. Do you want this job for any reason other than employment?

Driving Record
18. Has your driver's license ever been suspended?
19. Have you been truthful about your driving record?
20. Have you ever had a vehicle accident?
21. Have you ever had a commercial vehicle accident?

Security Questions
22. Have you ever used narcotics, drugs or marijuana illegally?
23. Have you knowingly cashed a bad check?
24. Did you ever forge a check?
25. Did you ever steal merchandise or material from an employer?
26. Did you ever steal money from your employer?
27. Did you ever participate in a theft ring?
28. Did you ever commit a serious, undetected crime?
29. Are you wanted by a law enforcement agency?
30. Have you ever been arrested?
31. Have you ever been in jail or prison?
32. Have you ever been refused by a bonding company?
33. Are you now on probation or parole?
34. Have you ever been involved in a criminal offense?
35. Have you ever committed any act that would leave you for pressure or blackmail?

Thanks in Advance for your Help!!!

[George W. Maschke]

John,

At p. 121 of the 2nd edition of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector we noted:

Note: If you receive a lengthy background questionnaire from an agency with which you are applying for employment, do not attempt to characterize each question on the list as a potential polygraph question. Questions asked during the "in-test" phase (that is, while you're attached to the polygraph instrument) often differ greatly from those provided on background questionnaires, and you will be better off studying question types here.

Most of the questions on your list are relevant to an applicant's suitability for employment, but most are not likely to be asked during the "in-test" phase a polygraph interrogation. Read Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector to learn how to recognize the difference between "control," relevant, and irrelevant questions. You'll also find additional tips for recognizing "control" questions beginning at p. 120 of the 2nd edition.

[DEPUTY BEAR (Guest)]

John, your list is almost identical to the one that was in my employment package. Like George said, these are not the questions you will encounter during your poly. However some may be similar. My test consisted of only about 6 questions that were relevant. The other two were is today ______ and is this the month of ______. My control question was the numbers game mentioned in "The lie...". Make sure you read it several times, practice the countermeasures and you will be fine. Remember, you are the only one who knows if you are telling the truth. NOT THE POLYGRAPHER! Armed with this knowledge, you will be confident and you will pass. The questions you will encounter will most likely be something like: Are you telling me the truth about your drug usage, are you telling me the truth about your criminal history, have you purposely omitted anything from your application, etc. If you read the manual you will be able to predict what the polygrapher is going to say next. This makes you feel in control and very confident. Read the posts in the experiences section and you will see how easy it is. This will also give you a good idea of what to expect, in addition to "The lie..." Good luck! (not that you'll need it).

Are you in the south?

[beech trees]

John, your list is almost identical to the one that was in my employment package. Like George said, these are not the questions you will encounter during your poly. However some may be similar. My test consisted of only about 6 questions that were relevant. The other two were is today ______ and is this the month of ______.

In the interests of clarity, I am hoping you could explain further on this testing format. To my knowledge, there is no test that consists of all RQ's. If there was, there would be no baseline comparison with which the polygraph interrogator could compare to draw his [ludicrous] conclusions of truth or deception. Further, the other two questions you mentioned are cleary Irrelavent Questions and, contrary to what your interrogator will tell you, not scored.

My control question was the numbers game mentioned in "The lie...".

Are you rererring to the Stim Test, aka 'Aquaintence Test'? That should be run separately and be a totally different chart than your actual polygraph interrogation.

Note I am not questiong your honesty, I am just curious as it seems like a very odd way to run a polygraph.

Dave, aka Beech Trees

[DEPUTY BEAR]

Beech trees,
Yes there was an 'Acquaintence Test', where the polygrapher asked me to pick a number and then lie when I was asked if she wrote the number down (as explained in "the lie..."). Then during the test I was asked nothing but R/I questions. I was concerned at first and I asked George if this was normal. He said it was not abnormal. I was hooked up during the numbers game. I gave a complete account of my experience after I took it but my name then was simply BEAR. Since I have been hired I changed my name to Deputy Bear. It is in the "share your experiences section".
I hope this may have cleared up any confusion I may have created. If not, please ask away, I don't want to confuse anyone who may be reading this.