Inconsistencies With Polygraph Examiners Cause Frustration

Young beautiful woman sitting with attached sensors on fingers, hands and body, testing with computer polygraph, looking away. Graph and polygraph on screen of lie detector

The topic of polygraph examiners bullying security clearance applicants has risen to new levels as of late. The Clearancejobsblog.com site has been peppered with stories from intelligence agency applicants depicting disbelief and frustration with their polygraph experiences. One recent applicant said he has no idea why his first two polygraphs were inconclusive because he was totally honest with everything and had nothing to hide. He is now scheduled for a third try and is scared to death of not being able to pass it. The examiner on the first two told him he was not breathing right. I know firsthand of another person who is going through this exact same scenario and had been cleared at the TS/SCI level previously while in the military.

Others have posted about how the NSA and CIA interrogate their applicants, tell them lies to get reactions, or accuse them of withholding information. Not all examiners are like this; some actually take into consideration human factors such as stress, anxiety, age, or gender, and try to get their applicants to relax. Some of the possible outcomes after taking a polygraph are:

Significant Response (failing: reactions to relevant questions are stronger than reactions to corresponding “control” questions)
No Significant Response (passing: reactions to “control” questions are stronger than reactions to relevant questions)
Inconclusive (reactions to relevant questions and “control” questions are roughly the same in magnitude; in this case, a “re-test” is likely to be offered)
No Opinion (for some reason, the polygrapher cannot render an opinion, for example, if coughing, sneezing, or something else affected the charts)
Countermeasures (a determination by the polygrapher that the subject likely employed polygraph countermeasures)

If you are scheduled to take a polygraph it is recommended that you do not do any research on how to pass one, as this could skew your natural reactions and cause you to fail. And if you do not pass the first one, don’t give up. Ask for a retest.