Polygraph exam, we have heard this term all across the internet. Some may call it reliable, others may not. The most important key is to find an experienced Polygraph Examiner but there is more to it than that.
This article will help you understand more about the Polygraph Examinations Benefit and how you can perform better.
Polygraph Exam:
Before we dive into the article let’s just understand how the polygraph exam has been conducted. With the help of your heart rate, skin conductivity, or even your blood pressure the polygraph exam measures all these factors to prove if a person is lying or speaking the truth.
But sometimes a person can fail the exam, even if they are speaking the truth just out of panic or nervousness. This is one of the major reasons why the government considers this exam unreliable and stressful. The court does not verify the exam results but if you are going to join high-security jobs such as the CIA etc. In such cases, you will need to understand the basics of how the exam works to clear the examination.
There are two different types of tests,
- Counterintelligence test (CI)
- Lifestyle test.
Espionage, terrorist activities & to detect your participation in spying activity are the few questions that are covered under the counterintelligence polygraph exam. The motive of this set of questions is to understand whether an individual has participated in mishandling personal or classified information or to verify that the individual has no contact with any foreign national. The purpose of this test is to be sure that you are reliable and can be trusted with private information.
The next is the lifestyle test. As the name suggests these test questions are designed to verify more about an individual’s personal characteristics, behavior, and history along with verifying whether the information on the SF-86 form that you have answered is true or not. If an individual has a connection with illegal activities, to understand if they are taking drugs, or not verifying correct info on the SF-86 form. In such cases, if you’ve lied about it you will not pass the exam.
Another test is the Full-scope polygraph here the individual has to undergo a counterintelligence and lifestyle test. In such cases, questions related to national security threats and personal conduct would be verified.
Sean Bigley, national security attorney and managing partner of Bigley Ranish LLP believes that the scare tactic works subconsciously on many people.
Many people admit to the things they have lied about even on the form during the exam. This is the purpose of the polygraphic exams, to scare a person into being honest. You should be honest when the polygraph exam has been conducted just the way you were honest when you were filling out the security clearance form. Honesty works better even if the situation is messier because it can turn out to be in your favor.
An example of John Brennan’s polygraph exam:
John Brennan, former CIA Director during the year 2016 at a press conference was asked if activism would stop diverse candidates from getting government jobs. Brennan shared with the journalists his personal experience with the polygraphic exam during the year 1980 i.e., when he applied to work as a CIA officer.
The question for Brennan was “Have you ever worked with or for a group that was dedicated to overthrowing the U.S.?”
Brennan could have lied and denied but instead, he chose to speak the truth. He admitted voting for a Communist party candidate as a proexam vote but he also clarified that he was not a member of such parties. He also added that he was not a Republican or a Democrat.
After admitting to the standard CI polygraph question, (admitting to having voted for a Communist party candidate during the Cold War). Brennan thought he was not going to pass the polygraph exam because of his answer. But to his surprise, he passed the exam.
He admitted that he would not have been selected if he hadn’t been honest during the exam. Fortunately, it worked out in his favor. Now after this example, you must have understood the importance of staying honest during the exam process. But there are also a few additional rules that one must know before appearing for the exam.
Do not make changes to your usual routine:
If you are a coffee drinker and worry that it will spoil your performance do not think about skipping it on the day of the exam. For example, if you are taking medicines every day stick to taking them even on the day of security clearance polygraph.
You should also speak to your agency if you have any medical conditions before taking the polygraph exam. Additionally, pregnant women or a person suffering from a cold or any sickness should not take the exam.
Be calm, don’t stress:
The key point here is to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but not ‘maybe’. People who believe there is something between right and wrong would probably fail the exam due to overthinking, this may cause you to fear and end up feeling guilty and the exam result would prove that you are lying.
Experts believe that incredibly honest people could still fail due to the questions being asked. They may not have committed the crime or action but they may still feel guilty about something they didn’t do, due to having a high sense of justice and this may show that they are lying.
But whatever it is, communicate openly with your polygrapher, you do not have to take accountability for the things you didn’t do because you overthought the question or gave a one-word answer. You may explain ‘as to why’ and clearly state your reasons calmly. This way the polygrapher would be able to understand you better and you won’t be panicking about failing the exam.
Keep the answers short:
If you are being asked a question about something you don’t know. Simply tell them the right answer, ‘I don’t know’. You don’t have to guess if your answer is the right answer or not. Sometimes the examiner will ask questions that are not related to your answers from the SF-86 form or simply just strange questions. During such situations, you simply have to focus on answering the question with a clear mind.
The examiner may ask you to elaborate on the answers you’ve written on your form. If you were arrested for disorderly conduct or ‘drunk and drive’ do not hesitate to say the truth. If you try to over-explain or work your around the answer too much you will start showing signs of nervousness and the exam would predict that you are lying.
Sometimes the right way is to keep the answers short and honest.
Do not try to beat the Polygraph:
You may think asking the other previous candidates about their experience, do not do this. Each individual’s personal story, experience, and lifestyle is different from others. So there is no need to compare yourselves to them.
One of the most common questions would be ‘if you’ve prepared for the exam’, and this is one of the reasons why you shouldn’t be discussing the exam with anybody. You can read articles or the information provided by the polygraph agency’s website but asking candidates about their experience is going to cause you to fail the exam.
Some of us would try to control the breathing pace to act more relaxed and stress-free but the examiner would be able to detect your strategy. If you think or practice beating the polygraph exam then a job in the national security department is simply not deserving to you.