Math question at the end of the test?

[Bigthing101]

Hello I just recently took a polygraph and the examiner asked me a difficult math question at the end of the test. I also had the "numbers stim test" at the beginning so is this math question to see if I was using mental countermeasures or is it just another "stim test"?

[George W. Maschke]

Polygraph operators cannot tell whether a person has employed polygraph countermeasures by asking a math question. Without knowing more about the circumstances of your polygraph examination, it's hard to surmise what the intended purpose of this question may have been. But in the relevant/irrelevant technique, a surprise math question may be tacked on to the end in an attempt to gauge the examinee's potential reactivity level, especially if physiological reactions throughout the question series have been of limited magnitude.

[Bigthing101]

Thanks for the response George, That makes sense because I doubt I showed any reaction during the test because I knew it was total BS in fact when she was telling me how "accurate" the test was during the pre-test interview I couldn't contain my laughter and had to pretend it was a sneeze.

After the test I was told I showed slight reactions to the drug use and theft questions but this is the same trick with the same questions another polygrapher tried on me and I passed that one. This recent one however I have to come in again and take another polygraph specifically on drug use and theft. I wish I knew the "math question" was a hidden control type question because I just blurted out a number because I thought they would use it as some kind of countermeasure detector..but now I know to show a higher reaction next time.