What type of poly did I take?

[Tex25]

2 months ago I took a poly for a government job.

The questions asked were:

Is your name XXXX? - YES
Is this the year 2007? - NO
Are we in the city of XX? - NO
Were you born in XX? YES

Relevant Questions:
Have you committed major crimes?
Have you done drugs in the last 5 years?
Did you lie on your security form?

Am I right in concluding that the first set of questions were not direct lie or probable lie questions? What were they and exactly what type of test was it? They don't seem to fit the bill as 'control questions'.  Thus are the countermeasures that are so widely discussed (mental math, tongue biting, exciting thoughts, and breathing manipulation) not applicable in this instance.

[T.M. Cullen]

If those were the only questions on your polygraph, in might have been what I believe they call an RCT (relevant control test).  In this case, the relevant questions also serve as controls.  IOW, if you react more to one particular relevant question, vis a vis the other RELEVANT questions, they assume you are being deceptive and start probing that area.  The test I took at the NSA in 2000 was like that.

Don't employ CMs in that case.  Just don't volunteer any info if and when they claim you are being deceptive on one of the relevants when you aren't.  Scratch your head, look perplexed, and just tell them you're telling the truth and can't understand why you'd be showing deception.  Be respectful and appear cooperative, but MAKE NO STATEMENTS that could in anyway be misconstrued as self-incriminating (eg. "No, i haven't taken drugs, but there was a party I went to where pot was smoked.  Maybe I got 2nd hand smoke." or "I  had a dream once that I raped a woman"..etc. ).  Don't even go there!

Don't play their game.  Think of them as fiction writers looking for ideas for a good plot.  And guess what, they want to make YOU their main character!  

On the brighter side, you may not "react" at all.  Either way, don't worry.

TC