US Postal Inspector Polygraph Exam

[infomaven]

Boy do I wish I had found this website a week ago!
I took a polygraph exam for the US Postal Inspection Service a few days ago and did all the things
this website said not to do- such as letting the examiner trick me into admitting to a couple of things
that called into question the credibility of my entire application.
If I hadn't been so honest, there would have been no problems at all. Isn't that Ironic?

I don't know if I have any recourse, but the "official" results haven't come out yet.  

[JohnFromCA (Guest)]

Hi there!  I took a poly for the Postal Inspection service and the exam lasted 4 1/2 hours.  The examiner first stated that I had some things on my chest that I needed to bring out.  He then went on to say that my first set was inconclusive.  After the second set he informed me that I had issues with the major crime question and falsifying the application.  I kept saying that I had done nothing and that my application was complete and accurate.  He said that he did not grade results but that a senior examiner did.  When I asked about what was to happen he stated that I would either be granted a new exam or failed outright.  Can anyone give me any feedback?   Was he bluffing me?  Thanks so much, John

[whitfield]

He was probably bluffing to make you feel better. For their purposes, an "inconclusive" result is the same as failing. If I were you, I wouldn't put all my eggs in this basket! :-/

[Wildbill]

I will be taking the US Postal Inspector Poly in the near future. Can anyone tell me what questions will be asked and the process which takes place.

[George W. Maschke]

Wildbill,

I have no first-hand information regarding the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's pre-employment polygraph practices, I believe it is very likely that they use a probable-lie "control" question "test" similar to that used by the FBI, Secret Service, DEA, and BATFE. You'll find this technique described in detail in Chapter 3 of The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.

[avacos]

Wildbill,

I'm a college grad, Knoxville, and have recently taken a poly for the position of Postal Inspector. I'm not sure if they are all the same but if you are in the geographical area and would like to know what was asked, I'd be happy to share.

[Wildbill]

Avacos, I am not in you area but I would be happy to hear what was asked. Thank You

[Breezy]

I took the polygraph and was told at the end that my response to 1 question was spiked. And it was a question that was NOOOO way that I could've failed. He said at the end that my results will be sent to a QC tech but the examiner said that in the pre-test that I amswered the question at a higher octane level than the rest. So it seems like I was judged from the pretest rather than the actual polygraph. Is there a way that he couldve just wanted me to admit something?

[George W. Maschke]

Breezy,

It's conceivable that you didn't fail the polygraph and that the operator was just seeing if he could get an admission out of you, but it's difficult to judge how likely that is. How much of a post-test interrogation did you receive?

[Breezy]

It was about 5 minutes. He gave me examples of his experience with other candidates and I kept telling him that I do not do drugs.

[George W. Maschke]

That doesn't sound like much of a post-test interrogation at all. I think it's quite possible that you passed or that the outcome was at worst inconclusive, and that the polygraph operator made a last-ditch attempt to get an admission. Hopefully, you'll be receiving good news soon. Either way, I would be interested to know how things turn out.