Examiner changed question around!

[Eddie Jones]

Just took my poly a few days ago.  Pre-exam questions were given to me to fill out.  One was: Have you ever looked at Child Pornography of anyone under the age of 18?  I aswered NO with 100% certainty.  After the first set of questions he said, "Are you sure you have never looked at kiddy porn?"  I said I am sure!  The next 2 times through the questions he asked, "Have you ever looked at inappropraite material on the internet?"  That is a very different question.  I have seen porn and plenty of dirty emails of things, none being child pornography.  "Child Pornography" and "Inappropriate material" are very different questions. I answered NO, (Stuck to my answers) but I was so concentrated on trying to breathe normal that I may have messed that one up.  After the exam he said that if he had any questions he would ask them now.  He said he had none and that we were done.  He said good luck with your career and I left.  I am nervous about getting the results.  It was a private company that gave it and I am going nuts waiting for my results.  Did I pass?  Did I fail?  Any advice?  Should I ask for a re-test if they say I "had a reaction" to that question?  Why do I feel so crappy after taking an exam that I thought wouldn't be a problem.

[George W. Maschke]

One cannot be certain, but it sounds like you passed. It's standard procedure to conduct a post-test interrogation and attempt to get admissions when the charts are scored as "deception indicated."

Post-test interrogation is important to polygraph operators because they use the admissions to justify their jobs. So the absence of a post-test interrogation is a pretty good indication that one has probably passed.

Hopefully you'll be hearing good news soon.

[Eddie Jones]

So I got a call that my BI wants to meet with me about my poly results and go over some of my background tomorrow. I think this is good news, but I am nervous. I want this job so bad! Any advice about the meeting?

[xenonman]

George,
Why do you wish people luck in the application process, at least where "alphabet soup" agencies are concerned?

Don't you realize that the "ethics" of administering polygraph and the nefarious activities of  agencies such as CIA or NSA are hopelessly intertwined concepts? :-?