Mike, I've developed a list of common polygraph mistakes that your viewers may find helpful: Common Polygraph Pitfalls to Avoid 1) Breathing slowly and regularly. The federal polygraph school at Fort Jackson, South Carolina teaches students that a normal breathing rate is 15-30 cycles (in and out) per minute. Anything outside of that range is considered abnormal and may result in an accusation of deception or attempted countermeasure use (which is much worse than simply failing the polygraph). Nonetheless, many people, even truthful ones with nothing to hide, when put in a stressful situation like a polygraph interrogation, will start breathing slowly and regularly in an attempt to remain calm. Don't do that. 2) Deep breathing. When you take a deep breath, it causes a spike on the electrodermal channel of the polygraph. Polygraph operators interpret that as an attempted countermeasure. Don't take deep breaths. 3) Physical movement. You are expected to sit still during the "in-test" phase of the polygraph session, when you're wired up and the operator is asking you a series of questions that will be reviewed in advance. If you have a nervous habit of tapping a finger, a toe, or shaking a leg, do your best to keep it under control. It may be mistaken for a countermeasure attempt. 4) Explaining why you might have reacted to a question. If, at the conclusion of your polygraph session, you've told the truth, and yet the polygraph operator accuses you of withholding information and asks what you were thinking about that might have caused you to react to any of the relevant questions, the only correct answer is, "I was thinking about the question you asked and my truthful answer." If your polygrapher accuses you of withholding information at the end of polygraph session, it means you've failed. You are disqualified at that point, and the polygraph operator is not going to "go to bat for you" with headquarters. Federal polygraph operators are rated based on the percentage of post-test confessions they obtain after a failed test. They have a strong incentive to characterize anything you might say as an admission that you lied. As an example, suppose you truthfully admitted during the pre-test phase that you smoked marijuana 3 times while in high school back in 2012. You're certain of this. Yet the polygraph operator accuses you of "having a problem" with the drug use question, and asks whether you might feel more comfortable stating that you used marijuana "less than ten times," and asks you to sign a statement to that effect. When you sign that statement that you used marijuana "less than ten times" rather than the 3 times you stated during the pre-test, this will be taken as a post-test confession. You'll be permanently branded as a liar not only with the agency that polygraphed you, but all federal agencies. Sign no statements. 5) Signing any statement agreeing that you "altered or manipulated your physiology." For a federal polygraph operator, nothing is more precious than obtaining an admission from an examinee that he or she tried to beat the polygraph. As a consequence, false accusations of attempted polygraph countermeasures are common, and numerous applicants have been duped into signing statements that suggest they tried to beat the polygraph, when in fact they did not. For example, one U.S. Customs and Border Protection applicant tried to remain calm during his pre-employment polygraph session by thinking calming thoughts of his young daughter. He admitted this during a post-test interrogation during which he was asked what he was thinking about. His polygraph operator asked him to put this in a written statement and sign it, which he did, thinking that he needed to do so in order to continue in the hiring process. His innocent admission was reported to CBP's polygraph unit as a confession that he used countermeasures in an attempt to beat the polygraph. This statement will forever torpedo his career prospects with CBP and other federal agencies. Such statements often include a spoon-fed statement by the subject that he or she "purposefully manipulated my physiology in an attempt to alter the outcome" of the polygraph examination. Again, sign no statements.
When people say to be honest do they mean if you smoked pot a few times and maybe tried cocaine once? What about the guys that smoked for years and tried a multitude of illegal drugs several times each? Is any federal or state law enforcement or firefighting agency going to hire a guy that screwed around for 4 or 5 years but then turned his life around. Some people did a lot of dumb stuff between 18-22 and would be honest but I just don't think any agency would give them a chance. Like me, I was stupid in my young adolescence. Have sense served 10 years in the military and have a big family. I still have a hard time believing that being honest is going to go over well for me.
@@sayedmaududi7324 From what I remember from the many that I have taken, here's some of the questions... Have you answered everything on the questionnaire truthfully? Have you ever been arrested? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever stolen anything from your past employers? Have you ever had sex with a minor? Have you ever used illegal drugs? Have you ever paid to have sex? Have you ever driven a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs? Do you abuse prescription medication? Have you ever been in a fight? And let's say that you answered Yes to any of the questions and I'll use the Marijuana use question as an example. This is what they'll do. They'll say, "you admitted to smoking Marijuana, which is OK, so when was the last time and how many times?" THIS is where people slip up. As let's say that your answer was that you experimented Marijuana when you were 15 years old and you tried it between 10 to 20 times. TRUST ME, this is what will happen. They'll say "you're showing deception on the Marijuana question. You know it's not a big deal, so if you smoked it AFTER you were 15 years old and it was more than 20 times. It's no big deal, just admit it if you were older than 15 years old and that you did it more than 20 times now and we'll move on." The Polygrapher will sound likes he's trying to help you, but he's not. So no matter what, and I can't emphasize this enough, STICK TO YOUR ORIGINAL ANSWERS! Because the second that you say," you know, come to think of it, I may have smoked Marijuana more than 20 times." Guess what? You just failed your polygraph! Now you won't know it yet because they NEVER tell you the results immediately after the polygraph. But the Polygrapher will praise you for being truthful and remembering the right answers. And you'll leave that Polygraph feeling damn good about yourself. But a few days later you'll either get a disqualification letter in the mail or your background Investigator will call you to let you know that you failed the Polygraph and are no longer eligible for employment. And by the way, they won't tell you why you failed. They'll just say something like, "the Polygraph Examiner detected some disception in your answers and that's all we can tell you."
For the polygraph, all questions are phrased as “yes or no” questions…so your responses should always be *1 word and 1 word only*. Don’t explain…*if you’re explaining you’re failing*…it will make the graph reactive. Be honest and polite, but only answer “yes” or “no”.
Psych test is not hard at all it’s just gonna ask you a bunch of questions for example and this is real stuff I have seen on it Do you get mad ? When you were younger did you ever play with dolls or if your a female ever with action figures? Have you ever looked at anyone in your family sexualy ? It asks a bunch of questions that might seem crazy or out of context but they just want to see if your sane and somone of them well ask to answer agree, strongly agree? Disagree, or strongly disagree it’s not hard just answer truthfully
That's unfortunately typical. One thing not usually discussed in these videos, is the importance of the pre-test phase. Make sure to be open and honest *before* the test. Notice your own reactions during that phase, and if a particular question makes you react, ask the examiner to pause, because the question seems vague and needs clarification. Make them reword it until you are 100% certain you won't react to it. I think people who have never had one don't realize they can make the examiner reword questions. That said, they will often ask questions that are *intentionally* vague, such as "do you consider yourself honest". They won't reword the intentionally vague questions, because those are control questions. You're supposed to half react to them.
As I was told by a retired chief from a sizable department. “If they ask you to do a polygraph, walk out and don’t look back. If they are dumb enough to trust a polygraph, then they are dumb enough to hurt people through incompetence on any call”.
Polygraphs are not there to catch liars trying to apply for a federal job. Polygraphs are used as a tool to filter massive pools of applicants. It's their way of controlling the flow of applicants more so than anything else.
I have mine in 6 days and its going to be interesting cause when I'm in ANY type of interview I get extremely uneasy and stressed so I'm sure all my answers are going to spike
The key is be polite, confident, and well groomed. I was a detective for 10 years. Anyone who thinks polygraphs work is an idiot. It’s all about getting you to admit things. Just swallow your pride and be honest and polite. They WILL accuse you of lying, just stick to your guns.
I am not a firefighter nor do I work in anything related to this activity, but I tell you that your videos are very useful in my learning of American English, so thumbs up for you and for your channel. Regards.
Your video is amazing, I did not pass the polygraph yesterday despite of answering truthfully to all of the questions. I felt really sad after the test and felt that I am guilty for no reason. After I watched your video I understand now I am not alone. A lot of people obviously do not pass the test regardless of being truthful.
That's normal...presumably, by now you have either passed or decided you never want to work somewhere that requires a polygraph. Of course, they never tell you you passed. What happens is, when you pass, they just don't reschedule another one.
My issue right now is I have 5 failed polys and 1 passed. I feel like that put a huge negative impact in my record, which is so sad bc I have to irked so hard to stay out of trouble to be law enforcement
Wait a minute; in the US you get tested by a lie detector when you go into fire fighting? Here in Germany I just had to bring my clean criminal record and that's it. There are other tests of course to make sure you are physically and psychologically fit for the job, but what is the point of doing a polygraph? If I get to a dangerous call with the team, the other Fire-fighters might have to trust me with their lives and vice versa depending on what we do. So if you already mistrust me to the point of making me do a lie detector test, then we should not do this job together.
It is illegal for most private employers to use polygraphs or the related voice stress analyzer, but our gov agencies often don't practice what they preach. So call lie detectors are only as reliable as a coin toss.
Over here they also use it as a way to get rid of candidates, they wouldn't be able to get rid of otherwise. IE you could have a clean record, and if the examiner just doesn't like you for whatever reason they'll fail you. Or you could not have the experience or skillset they're looking, but you qualify for everything else, they'll just discontinue you at the polygraph. Yeah they use it to get information out of people. Like anything else it is a tool that is also subject to misuse by police, agencies, and fire departments.
@@EndlngAnthem You can't get rid of bad candidates in the US? Here it is so that the Fire Fepartment ( i mean the organisation that coordinates all the fire stations in a city, I'm not sure if the organisation structure is the same in the US) decides if they want a candidate to join the fire brigade or not. And if they don't want you to join, you're out, case closed. But most areas have to few firefighters, so when someone is not getting in there are good reasons why not, so there is no need to make something like lie detectors up to get them out.
@@neptun2810 they get rid of bad candidates are other points. I should have phrased myself better. By weeding out people I mean they're using it to weed out people they just don't want even though the person has no flags or issues. Meaning they would otherwise get hired if they abided by the set objective standards. Ex: examiner A doesn't like the way an applicant answered the questions, or applicant questioned the examiners accusation. Examiner accuses applicant of looking a pornography at work, but applicant is a police officer and is primarily court security at the local Court with no access to a computer. Thats a rough example, but they'll fail you for whatever they want. Also to add ive gotten Dq'd after taking one. 2 to 3 years later a recruiter from the same agency emailed me to apply. I needless to say told the recruiter off. I didnt have much work experience at the time, and they reached out to me after I had gotten far more experience.
@@EndlngAnthem Lisa Ribbacoff used the poly to get rid of black applicants for the NY Transit. The Ribbacoffs nor their organization dispute this. The question is now are the Ribbacoffs racists, or were they told to eliminate black candidates?
@@Infantry2011 HELL YEAH BROTHER!!!!! I’m already a fireman. But I’m transferring to my towns PD here in a few weeks. Polygraph is to follow after my interview.
This will be my second time taking a poly I passed my first one and I was mad nervous and anxious and have literally nothing to hide I have a clean background and the 1st one I took he was a good cop guy, I take one tomorrow morning for a department I really wanna be at
@@95jayy22 I received a job not from that department but I’ve passed every poly just didn’t move forward with 2 department, but I injured myself so I missed my academy starts of last month now my stuff is on hold
The reason for the poly is to intimidate naïve people that a machine can tell if you are lying. There is no such thing as a lie detector that is any more reliable than chance. If someone disagrees with me, please cite some unbiased academic research.
Hey Mike! Great video. I was wondering if in the future you could do a video on knots and any tips you may have. I really struggle with those and I am worried about it when I get to academy.
Just don't lie. Don't do or participate in anything that would cause you to fail. I'd like several current and former law enforcement officers to have to take a new test. Id like to offer some questions.
My CVSA examiner said i lied about "any arrestable action that I did not disclose" after I told them everything. Not only was I completely confused because why would I lie when I told the truth on everything thus far, but that same question the CVSA did not hear me the first "no" each time the question was asked. I feel like naturally when you have to yell it louder a second time your voice will sound more stressed than a normal "no"
Polygraph is total BS! Thanks for pointing that out. IMO fireman shouldn't have to take one. I've always been a nervous test taker and still am to this day. I would fail telling the truth.
Luckily the polygraph exam DOES NOT evaluate nervousness. Everyone is nervous! The difference between the nervous deceptive and nervous non-deceptive examinee is the "Fear of Detection"
For the life of me, I can't seem to pass this test. 1st time I took it I was read as inconclusive because my breathing was too controlled and they were going to disqualify me for counter measures. The 2nd time now I'm all over the place and they can't get a read on me. It's extremely frustrating I can't pass this test
Thanks for the video! I appreciate all of your info. I am currently going through the Poly and Psych Eval for a city department. Can you do a Tips video on Psych?
@@linoferrer9753 Didn't make it through the department I was talking about in this comment. I am currently in backgrounds now for another department awaiting my final interview 😬
@@linoferrer9753 They didn't say I failed the poly or psych they just moved on with other applicants. Civil Service departments here I have applied for haven't given a reason why you're removed.
The test is score based on your baseline vs the relevant questions, so it shouldn’t affect it that much. So as long as your adhd isn’t super out of control on test day, it should be okay. And they expect anxiety..it’s designed to be an intimidating/stressful environment so I wouldn’t worry about that unless you have an anxiety attack in the room or something like that
There's a great book called The Polygraphist by William Geiger. It's a novel that talks about all the tricks they use in polygraphs. I highly recommend it to anyone taking a polygraph or wanting to know about them. It's on Amazon.
Ho !! Man this is great , I like to take this exam ,,, Is good with wath ever questions they ask you ?? I think in your persona will help !!,, Did you Pass or Not ?? For me I think is going to be good .. Is a Learning experience ..
Have a polygraph for my local PD tomorrow morning. Over 2 years ago I had applied and they had me come on 3 separate dates to do polygraphs because the exam kept saying I was lying on 2 of the questions even though I was 100% telling the truth. Hadn’t watched any sort of tips videos prior to any of those exams, hopefully your tips will help with my exam tomorrow.
Depends on the question being asked. If the question has to do with something sensitive to he agency/considered a threat you may be a no-go and sent on their way. Best to be honest and not roll the dice with lies. Eventually, you will be found out.
Most important thing is they just want to see how honest of a person you are they will ask you list of questions on paper before taking it so don’t lie
Liars have passed the polygraph, i.e., Gary Ridgmont, the Green River Killer, and Aldrich Ames, the CIA mole have both passed polys. There is simply no such thing as a machine that can discern the truth.
On my SF86 I said that I smoked marijuana in college from August 2018- December 2018. But I forgot to put that I smoked in 2015 as well. What should I do? My polygraph is approaching
Yes tell them ahead of time. They can likely replace that question entirely or adjust the parameters, like saying “Since 2019, have you ever smoked marijuana” or “Between the years of 2015-2018…” You get the idea
How did it go I’m kinda in the same situation, forgot to mention something that happened when i was 15-16 and im 26 now, should i just bring it up before the questions start ?
One lady forced to do this .she is forced to sit in chair and every one sorrounded .Connected sensor's to leg and hand.She started fearing.High fear rate.Examiner ask questions.Her enemy starts making her tension.Examinrr told she is scared much.
Is the polygraph usually the form that the FD your applying for requires you to fill out during the application? Or do the polygraph testers have their own sheet of questions?
@@austinsearcy5438 No they don't, they want to BS naïve test takers. New York City hired Lisa Ribbacoff to screen out black applicants for transit police positions.
What if you volunteered in a past polygraph that an incident happened where the police were called, but you were never detained, questioned, or charged with anything, and were told that it wasn't important. The next time you take a polygraph with a different agency, if you just decide to not mention that incident altogether because it does not fall under any of the packet questions or verbal questions, will they accuse you of omitting information if they view your past polygraph and see that you brought it up in that one? That's the predicament I'm in, because I mistakenly thought I should err on the side of caution due to the police being involved, but they turned it against me to pile up pointless derogatory info that compounded with my traffic tickets. In other words, should I be answering only the questions being asked and never volunteer any additional information?
That is way confusing. Hopefully you've figured it out by now, but if not, just never again agree to a polygraph. If it's for a job, I get the motivation, but if not, it can only ever harm you.
Okay I wanna be a firefighter I stopped smoking(marijuana) almost 3 weeks ago If I have to take this test and they ask if I have ever smoked do I just be honest? I don’t wanna lose this opportunity because of my stupidity when I’m trying to do better I’m really Sincere about this career field I wanna do better.
I'm not sure how every state runs, but most run on the basis that if illegal drugs you are disqualified, and I'd imagine that marijuana is still banned from firefighters even where it is legal. If you have done drugs recently (in adulthood), nowhere around me will hire you. It's in their application that if you used any drugs, you are disqualified. But like I said, check your area! It's illegal in my state, so definitely a disqualifier here. Good luck!
My opinion is. Wait a bit before doing the polygraph test. Probably wait a year. You have to show that you have left it and wont do it anymore. 1 year is minimum. 2 if possible. I failed my polygraph test some days ago and I had told all the truth. My tips are, dont be nervous, tell the truth, and you have to be confident in your answers!! You are better than most people out there taking your test. There are people who have done worst. So dont think of yourself less better and be real confident with yourself. Go mentally prepared and strong. Dont talk a lot with the examiner. He will just try to get you answers. Only answer yes or no.
Wait as long as you can before doing the polygraph. Be honest but as vague as possible. All the questions are “yes or no” questions so you should be just saying 1 word in your answer.
I recently took a polygraph and failed. I owned up to everything in my past and told the truth but didnt pass. I dont understand why and was really upset that i didn't pass. I wish i knew how to help myself pass my next one!
I'm about to take one as a request for my Defense Lawyer. I'm quite nervous cause I have Anxiety and PTSD from my pass. I could be telling the truth but It will leave off as me lying.
It’s likely you said too much when you owned up to everything. Be vague. Be honest but speak as little as humanly possible. Physiology advice from a nurse: Your breathing rate & depth will vary when you say more than a short sentence. The alteration in breathing will also cause your heart rate to fluctuate. This can be interpreted as deception indicators. It’s very hard to not do this as we do it unconsciously, even when we’re telling the truth. Just concentrate on giving very short & sweet answers so your breathing does not change much and don’t try to artificially slow your breathing rate or depth - they’ll notice.
Not spot on! He's admittedly NOT a Poly Examiner. Some good advice on cooperation. Just like any profession, not all Examiners are skilled and competent. The Fed has the most extensive polygraph training program. The commercial poly training world is hit or miss. Find out where your Examiner was trained.
Why would I take advice from someone who is not a polygraph examiner? I have been to the doctor more times than you have taken a polygraph. That does not mean I hand out medical advice. I would stick to giving advice on what you are an expert in and let polygraph examiners guide people through the process.
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Mike, I've developed a list of common polygraph mistakes that your viewers may find helpful:
Common Polygraph Pitfalls to Avoid
1) Breathing slowly and regularly. The federal polygraph school at Fort Jackson, South Carolina teaches students that a normal breathing rate is 15-30 cycles (in and out) per minute. Anything outside of that range is considered abnormal and may result in an accusation of deception or attempted countermeasure use (which is much worse than simply failing the polygraph). Nonetheless, many people, even truthful ones with nothing to hide, when put in a stressful situation like a polygraph interrogation, will start breathing slowly and regularly in an attempt to remain calm. Don't do that.
2) Deep breathing. When you take a deep breath, it causes a spike on the electrodermal channel of the polygraph. Polygraph operators interpret that as an attempted countermeasure. Don't take deep breaths.
3) Physical movement. You are expected to sit still during the "in-test" phase of the polygraph session, when you're wired up and the operator is asking you a series of questions that will be reviewed in advance. If you have a nervous habit of tapping a finger, a toe, or shaking a leg, do your best to keep it under control. It may be mistaken for a countermeasure attempt.
4) Explaining why you might have reacted to a question. If, at the conclusion of your polygraph session, you've told the truth, and yet the polygraph operator accuses you of withholding information and asks what you were thinking about that might have caused you to react to any of the relevant questions, the only correct answer is, "I was thinking about the question you asked and my truthful answer." If your polygrapher accuses you of withholding information at the end of polygraph session, it means you've failed. You are disqualified at that point, and the polygraph operator is not going to "go to bat for you" with headquarters. Federal polygraph operators are rated based on the percentage of post-test confessions they obtain after a failed test. They have a strong incentive to characterize anything you might say as an admission that you lied.
As an example, suppose you truthfully admitted during the pre-test phase that you smoked marijuana 3 times while in high school back in 2012. You're certain of this. Yet the polygraph operator accuses you of "having a problem" with the drug use question, and asks whether you might feel more comfortable stating that you used marijuana "less than ten times," and asks you to sign a statement to that effect. When you sign that statement that you used marijuana "less than ten times" rather than the 3 times you stated during the pre-test, this will be taken as a post-test confession. You'll be permanently branded as a liar not only with the agency that polygraphed you, but all federal agencies. Sign no statements.
5) Signing any statement agreeing that you "altered or manipulated your physiology." For a federal polygraph operator, nothing is more precious than obtaining an admission from an examinee that he or she tried to beat the polygraph. As a consequence, false accusations of attempted polygraph countermeasures are common, and numerous applicants have been duped into signing statements that suggest they tried to beat the polygraph, when in fact they did not. For example, one U.S. Customs and Border Protection applicant tried to remain calm during his pre-employment polygraph session by thinking calming thoughts of his young daughter. He admitted this during a post-test interrogation during which he was asked what he was thinking about. His polygraph operator asked him to put this in a written statement and sign it, which he did, thinking that he needed to do so in order to continue in the hiring process. His innocent admission was reported to CBP's polygraph unit as a confession that he used countermeasures in an attempt to beat the polygraph. This statement will forever torpedo his career prospects with CBP and other federal agencies. Such statements often include a spoon-fed statement by the subject that he or she "purposefully manipulated my physiology in an attempt to alter the outcome" of the polygraph examination. Again, sign no statements.
Very useful information. Thank you
This is great information! Thank you George, I'm going to pin this to the top of the comments...
Epic info thanks.
When people say to be honest do they mean if you smoked pot a few times and maybe tried cocaine once?
What about the guys that smoked for years and tried a multitude of illegal drugs several times each?
Is any federal or state law enforcement or firefighting agency going to hire a guy that screwed around for 4 or 5 years but then turned his life around.
Some people did a lot of dumb stuff between 18-22 and would be honest but I just don't think any agency would give them a chance.
Like me, I was stupid in my young adolescence. Have sense served 10 years in the military and have a big family. I still have a hard time believing that being honest is going to go over well for me.
@@chief5981 id like an answer to this as well
Just passed my Poly! On to the psych eval! Thank you man so much for the help
Congrats! What kind of questions were asked and how was the experience?
Nice!! How was it?
@@sayedmaududi7324 From what I remember from the many that I have taken, here's some of the questions... Have you answered everything on the questionnaire truthfully? Have you ever been arrested? Have you ever stolen something? Have you ever stolen anything from your past employers? Have you ever had sex with a minor? Have you ever used illegal drugs? Have you ever paid to have sex? Have you ever driven a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs? Do you abuse prescription medication? Have you ever been in a fight? And let's say that you answered Yes to any of the questions and I'll use the Marijuana use question as an example. This is what they'll do. They'll say, "you admitted to smoking Marijuana, which is OK, so when was the last time and how many times?" THIS is where people slip up. As let's say that your answer was that you experimented Marijuana when you were 15 years old and you tried it between 10 to 20 times. TRUST ME, this is what will happen. They'll say "you're showing deception on the Marijuana question. You know it's not a big deal, so if you smoked it AFTER you were 15 years old and it was more than 20 times. It's no big deal, just admit it if you were older than 15 years old and that you did it more than 20 times now and we'll move on." The Polygrapher will sound likes he's trying to help you, but he's not. So no matter what, and I can't emphasize this enough, STICK TO YOUR ORIGINAL ANSWERS! Because the second that you say," you know, come to think of it, I may have smoked Marijuana more than 20 times." Guess what? You just failed your polygraph! Now you won't know it yet because they NEVER tell you the results immediately after the polygraph. But the Polygrapher will praise you for being truthful and remembering the right answers. And you'll leave that Polygraph feeling damn good about yourself. But a few days later you'll either get a disqualification letter in the mail or your background Investigator will call you to let you know that you failed the Polygraph and are no longer eligible for employment. And by the way, they won't tell you why you failed. They'll just say something like, "the Polygraph Examiner detected some disception in your answers and that's all we can tell you."
Any suggestions on both test? I'm going to take them soon
Did they ask all of the questions in the pack or just a select few?
For the polygraph, all questions are phrased as “yes or no” questions…so your responses should always be *1 word and 1 word only*. Don’t explain…*if you’re explaining you’re failing*…it will make the graph reactive. Be honest and polite, but only answer “yes” or “no”.
I have mine next week and I’m nervous. But this video is very helpful thank u
Are you going to be making a video on the psych test soon? I have mine in 1 month and would love some tips. Thank you for all your videos already!
Same! I have my poly today, psych in a few weeks.
Psych test is not hard at all it’s just gonna ask you a bunch of questions for example and this is real stuff I have seen on it
Do you get mad ?
When you were younger did you ever play with dolls or if your a female ever with action figures?
Have you ever looked at anyone in your family sexualy ?
It asks a bunch of questions that might seem crazy or out of context but they just want to see if your sane and somone of them well ask to answer agree, strongly agree? Disagree, or strongly disagree it’s not hard just answer truthfully
The test has about over 500 questions if not less
How was your psych?
What is the square root of 4 simple query?
I can’t stress his point enough. Be vauge af with these people. I over explained and failed even when I was telling the truth.
Yea I got a lil too friendly with info don’t be me ppl
That's unfortunately typical. One thing not usually discussed in these videos, is the importance of the pre-test phase. Make sure to be open and honest *before* the test. Notice your own reactions during that phase, and if a particular question makes you react, ask the examiner to pause, because the question seems vague and needs clarification. Make them reword it until you are 100% certain you won't react to it. I think people who have never had one don't realize they can make the examiner reword questions. That said, they will often ask questions that are *intentionally* vague, such as "do you consider yourself honest". They won't reword the intentionally vague questions, because those are control questions. You're supposed to half react to them.
Preachhhhhhh - I had a GOOD old boy doing mines !!!!! And he was very border line - Django
Same here. I gave a ton of unnecessary detail thinking that they would appreciate my honesty and transparency, and I failed.
As I was told by a retired chief from a sizable department.
“If they ask you to do a polygraph, walk out and don’t look back. If they are dumb enough to trust a polygraph, then they are dumb enough to hurt people through incompetence on any call”.
Yeh but federal jobs pay well.
@@chieppachat9381 with decent to great benefits
Polygraphs are not there to catch liars trying to apply for a federal job. Polygraphs are used as a tool to filter massive pools of applicants. It's their way of controlling the flow of applicants more so than anything else.
Do you mean a pre-employment polygraph or a polygraph related to an investigation? Both?
How do you know what departments do polygraphs before starting the hiring process?
Took my poly today for police 911 dispatcher. I passed!!!! Your video helped calm my nerves the most!
I walked out on mine, they were saying i was a reincarnation of Rkelly with a splash of el chapo.
Lmao good thing u walked out ! Unprofessional
I have mine in 6 days and its going to be interesting cause when I'm in ANY type of interview I get extremely uneasy and stressed so I'm sure all my answers are going to spike
How did it go?
The key is be polite, confident, and well groomed. I was a detective for 10 years. Anyone who thinks polygraphs work is an idiot. It’s all about getting you to admit things. Just swallow your pride and be honest and polite. They WILL accuse you of lying, just stick to your guns.
I am not a firefighter nor do I work in anything related to this activity, but I tell you that your videos are very useful in my learning of American English, so thumbs up for you and for your channel. Regards.
Well this sucks cause I took my polygraph confessed everything and failed.
Your video is amazing, I did not pass the polygraph yesterday despite of answering truthfully to all of the questions. I felt really sad after the test and felt that I am guilty for no reason. After I watched your video I understand now I am not alone. A lot of people obviously do not pass the test regardless of being truthful.
That's normal...presumably, by now you have either passed or decided you never want to work somewhere that requires a polygraph. Of course, they never tell you you passed. What happens is, when you pass, they just don't reschedule another one.
What did you fail for ? i’m hopefully going to take one really soon
@@sergiocervantes1662 it was a Detention Officer job
@@omaralshibani7811 thanks for the response, i wish you the best of luck
i was told i passed my first poly exam , and failed my second for cbp. passed everything else but it was all for nothing
Took a poly, had a panic attack. Now im a rapist thief who drinks on the daily
Great. Please work on your punctuation and grammar for your next post. Thanks in advance.
Taking my poly and psych next month for a DOD position, so this was great information
Thank you 🙏🏽
Edit: hired and one year in!
Hired?
@@kevs482 Guess we'll never find out.
Update us man!
@@MidwestComet passed on the first try 🙏
@@ShadowF305 let's go babyyy 🙏🏽🔥
Just go in with the idea you’re not getting the job answer truthfully. If you go in not expecting anything you’ll relax more.
I took mines today and pass i was so nervous
My issue right now is I have 5 failed polys and 1 passed. I feel like that put a huge negative impact in my record, which is so sad bc I have to irked so hard to stay out of trouble to be law enforcement
Don’t take it personally. Like he said, it’s pseudoscience. It’s required but no one really trusts them.
Wait a minute; in the US you get tested by a lie detector when you go into fire fighting? Here in Germany I just had to bring my clean criminal record and that's it. There are other tests of course to make sure you are physically and psychologically fit for the job, but what is the point of doing a polygraph? If I get to a dangerous call with the team, the other Fire-fighters might have to trust me with their lives and vice versa depending on what we do. So if you already mistrust me to the point of making me do a lie detector test, then we should not do this job together.
It is illegal for most private employers to use polygraphs or the related voice stress analyzer, but our gov agencies often don't practice what they preach. So call lie detectors are only as reliable as a coin toss.
Over here they also use it as a way to get rid of candidates, they wouldn't be able to get rid of otherwise. IE you could have a clean record, and if the examiner just doesn't like you for whatever reason they'll fail you. Or you could not have the experience or skillset they're looking, but you qualify for everything else, they'll just discontinue you at the polygraph.
Yeah they use it to get information out of people. Like anything else it is a tool that is also subject to misuse by police, agencies, and fire departments.
@@EndlngAnthem You can't get rid of bad candidates in the US? Here it is so that the Fire Fepartment ( i mean the organisation that coordinates all the fire stations in a city, I'm not sure if the organisation structure is the same in the US) decides if they want a candidate to join the fire brigade or not. And if they don't want you to join, you're out, case closed. But most areas have to few firefighters, so when someone is not getting in there are good reasons why not, so there is no need to make something like lie detectors up to get them out.
@@neptun2810 they get rid of bad candidates are other points. I should have phrased myself better. By weeding out people I mean they're using it to weed out people they just don't want even though the person has no flags or issues. Meaning they would otherwise get hired if they abided by the set objective standards.
Ex: examiner A doesn't like the way an applicant answered the questions, or applicant questioned the examiners accusation. Examiner accuses applicant of looking a pornography at work, but applicant is a police officer and is primarily court security at the local Court with no access to a computer. Thats a rough example, but they'll fail you for whatever they want.
Also to add ive gotten Dq'd after taking one. 2 to 3 years later a recruiter from the same agency emailed me to apply. I needless to say told the recruiter off. I didnt have much work experience at the time, and they reached out to me after I had gotten far more experience.
@@EndlngAnthem Lisa Ribbacoff used the poly to get rid of black applicants for the NY Transit. The Ribbacoffs nor their organization dispute this. The question is now are the Ribbacoffs racists, or were they told to eliminate black candidates?
If you fail a poly is there still a chance for you to get hired or is that a automatic DQ and would you be able to apply again ?
I take my test tomorrow. Wish me luck and have me in your prayers guys. And today 9.13 is my birthday
How did go???
@@brandonruta5793 it went well. I passed.
Don't work for a department that requires that bogus.
Thank you for this video polygraph is the next step for my hiring process
Same. Good luck man.
How did it go?
How’d it go man?
@@mrcopyrightm4431 passed everything and the academy starts November 8th
@@Infantry2011 HELL YEAH BROTHER!!!!! I’m already a fireman. But I’m transferring to my towns PD here in a few weeks. Polygraph is to follow after my interview.
This will be my second time taking a poly I passed my first one and I was mad nervous and anxious and have literally nothing to hide I have a clean background and the 1st one I took he was a good cop guy, I take one tomorrow morning for a department I really wanna be at
How did it go?
@@95jayy22 I received a job not from that department but I’ve passed every poly just didn’t move forward with 2 department, but I injured myself so I missed my academy starts of last month now my stuff is on hold
What is their reasoning behind this? Will they not hire if you’ve ever used marijuana before??
The reason for the poly is to intimidate naïve people that a machine can tell if you are lying. There is no such thing as a lie detector that is any more reliable than chance. If someone disagrees with me, please cite some unbiased academic research.
Hey Mike! Great video. I was wondering if in the future you could do a video on knots and any tips you may have. I really struggle with those and I am worried about it when I get to academy.
Ask a firefighter: Are timberland pro valours a good duty boot? Can you make a video on what you’ll need to buy before your first day on shift.
Just don't lie. Don't do or participate in anything that would cause you to fail. I'd like several current and former law enforcement officers to have to take a new test. Id like to offer some questions.
My CVSA examiner said i lied about "any arrestable action that I did not disclose" after I told them everything. Not only was I completely confused because why would I lie when I told the truth on everything thus far, but that same question the CVSA did not hear me the first "no" each time the question was asked. I feel like naturally when you have to yell it louder a second time your voice will sound more stressed than a normal "no"
Can you be arrested in admitting to buying and using drugs when I was high school? About 10 years ago?
Polygraph is total BS! Thanks for pointing that out. IMO fireman shouldn't have to take one. I've always been a nervous test taker and still am to this day. I would fail telling the truth.
Right, poly is as accurate as a coin toss, pure pseudo-science.
Luckily the polygraph exam DOES NOT evaluate nervousness. Everyone is nervous! The difference between the nervous deceptive and nervous non-deceptive examinee is the "Fear of Detection"
You’d think it would be the police to have to take one being that they’re running around with firearms after weeks training
@@tamauriemcghee3524thanks for telling us how ignorant you are, Law Enforcement do take polygraphs and don’t get only “weeks” of training
You can be trained to pass lie after lie by turning words to sound as in meditation , and answering your own questions. I did it and it worked
What do you mean exactly ?
For the life of me, I can't seem to pass this test. 1st time I took it I was read as inconclusive because my breathing was too controlled and they were going to disqualify me for counter measures. The 2nd time now I'm all over the place and they can't get a read on me. It's extremely frustrating I can't pass this test
how long is the polygraph test usually
VERY GOOD ADVICE! SHORT BUT EXTREMELY HELPFUL! I'VE TAKEN THESE BEFORE SO I KNOW YOU ADVICE IS GREAT.
My concern on either tests having a mild to heavy speech impediment. My breathing pattern and rate of speech will change.
Polygraphs are no better than a coin flip....
Thanks for the video! I appreciate all of your info. I am currently going through the Poly and Psych Eval for a city department. Can you do a Tips video on Psych?
How did that go for you?
@@linoferrer9753 Didn't make it through the department I was talking about in this comment. I am currently in backgrounds now for another department awaiting my final interview 😬
@@davidmyers6478 why do you think you failed the polygraph?
@@linoferrer9753 They didn't say I failed the poly or psych they just moved on with other applicants. Civil Service departments here I have applied for haven't given a reason why you're removed.
how does having adhd or anxiety affect polygraph tests?
I think having diagnosed anxiety will hurt your chances of employment
The test is score based on your baseline vs the relevant questions, so it shouldn’t affect it that much. So as long as your adhd isn’t super out of control on test day, it should be okay. And they expect anxiety..it’s designed to be an intimidating/stressful environment so I wouldn’t worry about that unless you have an anxiety attack in the room or something like that
Ask the cops who lied
Step one . Don’t take it.
My Polygraph test is on Thursday . I’m happy l find this video.
Good luck!
There's a great book called The Polygraphist by William Geiger. It's a novel that talks about all the tricks they use in polygraphs. I highly recommend it to anyone taking a polygraph or wanting to know about them. It's on Amazon.
My friend just got his results today, he said he can reapply next year. Will he have to do the whole process again?
LOL😂 this was one funny video …
“These ppl are not your friends “
“This is not a confession “
😅
Thank you very much. I’m going for a test tmr 😬 kinda nervous!!!
Hey did you pass urs? I got one this monday
Passed my FD one recently but for some odd reason the Federal LE and local LE ones are having me retest
Ho !! Man this is great , I like to take this exam ,,, Is good with wath ever questions they ask you ?? I think in your persona will help !!,, Did you Pass or Not ?? For me I think is going to be good .. Is a Learning experience ..
Congratulations on 100k!
Thank you!!
Have a polygraph for my local PD tomorrow morning. Over 2 years ago I had applied and they had me come on 3 separate dates to do polygraphs because the exam kept saying I was lying on 2 of the questions even though I was 100% telling the truth. Hadn’t watched any sort of tips videos prior to any of those exams, hopefully your tips will help with my exam tomorrow.
What were the questions
What happened on your exam
@@gabrielcarrillo4841 he got arrested for lying again this time they found out he killed someone
Update?
Damn so did you get hired?😂
Depends on the question being asked. If the question has to do with something sensitive to he agency/considered a threat you may be a no-go and sent on their way. Best to be honest and not roll the dice with lies. Eventually, you will be found out.
Most important thing is they just want to see how honest of a person you are they will ask you list of questions on paper before taking it so don’t lie
Liars have passed the polygraph, i.e., Gary Ridgmont, the Green River Killer, and Aldrich Ames, the CIA mole have both passed polys. There is simply no such thing as a machine that can discern the truth.
On my SF86 I said that I smoked marijuana in college from August 2018- December 2018. But I forgot to put that I smoked in 2015 as well. What should I do? My polygraph is approaching
I would just tell them you forgot and mention it before you start.
Yes tell them ahead of time. They can likely replace that question entirely or adjust the parameters, like saying “Since 2019, have you ever smoked marijuana” or “Between the years of 2015-2018…”
You get the idea
How did it go I’m kinda in the same situation, forgot to mention something that happened when i was 15-16 and im 26 now, should i just bring it up before the questions start ?
What do i say if they ask if i smoked marijuana in hs. When i actually did
What questions do they ask
Soo if I'm just nervous for being in a situation like that, that alone can disqualify me? Even when being fully honest, That's insane .
If you fear you will not pass
One lady forced to do this .she is forced to sit in chair and every one sorrounded .Connected sensor's to leg and hand.She started fearing.High fear rate.Examiner ask questions.Her enemy starts making her tension.Examinrr told she is scared much.
Is the polygraph usually the form that the FD your applying for requires you to fill out during the application? Or do the polygraph testers have their own sheet of questions?
So they won’t hire you if u ever smoked weed in the past?
No they just don’t want you smoking in the current, they just want honesty really.
@@austinsearcy5438 bingo
@@austinsearcy5438 No they don't, they want to BS naïve test takers. New York City hired Lisa Ribbacoff to screen out black applicants for transit police positions.
I take mine next friday
Dam I’m nervous smh !
What if you volunteered in a past polygraph that an incident happened where the police were called, but you were never detained, questioned, or charged with anything, and were told that it wasn't important. The next time you take a polygraph with a different agency, if you just decide to not mention that incident altogether because it does not fall under any of the packet questions or verbal questions, will they accuse you of omitting information if they view your past polygraph and see that you brought it up in that one? That's the predicament I'm in, because I mistakenly thought I should err on the side of caution due to the police being involved, but they turned it against me to pile up pointless derogatory info that compounded with my traffic tickets. In other words, should I be answering only the questions being asked and never volunteer any additional information?
That is way confusing. Hopefully you've figured it out by now, but if not, just never again agree to a polygraph. If it's for a job, I get the motivation, but if not, it can only ever harm you.
Hands down the best video on this subject I’ve seen.
No crap, straight shooting with good information only.
Thanks! 🔵
Okay I wanna be a firefighter
I stopped smoking(marijuana) almost 3 weeks ago
If I have to take this test and they ask if I have ever smoked do I just be honest?
I don’t wanna lose this opportunity because of my stupidity when I’m trying to do better
I’m really Sincere about this career field I wanna do better.
I'm not sure how every state runs, but most run on the basis that if illegal drugs you are disqualified, and I'd imagine that marijuana is still banned from firefighters even where it is legal. If you have done drugs recently (in adulthood), nowhere around me will hire you. It's in their application that if you used any drugs, you are disqualified. But like I said, check your area! It's illegal in my state, so definitely a disqualifier here. Good luck!
My opinion is. Wait a bit before doing the polygraph test. Probably wait a year. You have to show that you have left it and wont do it anymore. 1 year is minimum. 2 if possible. I failed my polygraph test some days ago and I had told all the truth. My tips are, dont be nervous, tell the truth, and you have to be confident in your answers!! You are better than most people out there taking your test. There are people who have done worst. So dont think of yourself less better and be real confident with yourself. Go mentally prepared and strong. Dont talk a lot with the examiner. He will just try to get you answers. Only answer yes or no.
Wait as long as you can before doing the polygraph. Be honest but as vague as possible. All the questions are “yes or no” questions so you should be just saying 1 word in your answer.
Has anyone been through an eye detect test? Curious what that one is like
Good cop is the one to fuck with 😂
what is the dress code for the polygraph?
Birthday suite
Thanks for this videos
I have one to do monday
Awesome, thanks for addressing this topic!
One question they ask: "have you ever researched videos on the poly?"
I did not get this question
Thanks for the videos
I recently took a polygraph and failed. I owned up to everything in my past and told the truth but didnt pass. I dont understand why and was really upset that i didn't pass. I wish i knew how to help myself pass my next one!
I'm about to take one as a request for my Defense Lawyer. I'm quite nervous cause I have Anxiety and PTSD from my pass. I could be telling the truth but It will leave off as me lying.
@@Krypton853 how did it go? Update please
It’s likely you said too much when you owned up to everything. Be vague. Be honest but speak as little as humanly possible. Physiology advice from a nurse: Your breathing rate & depth will vary when you say more than a short sentence. The alteration in breathing will also cause your heart rate to fluctuate. This can be interpreted as deception indicators. It’s very hard to not do this as we do it unconsciously, even when we’re telling the truth. Just concentrate on giving very short & sweet answers so your breathing does not change much and don’t try to artificially slow your breathing rate or depth - they’ll notice.
@@ashleyreagan5543 just as Dragnet was, "Just the facts ma'am" just as writing reports, just the facts no extra info needed.
Research countering social engineering. That’s what they do
Jesus, I have mine on Monday…
I heard you failed. You should’ve told the truth bro.
Did you pass?
Can i still fail even if telling the truth?
yes
yep, 50/50 chance
yes
Great advice!!! Spot on.
i keep hearing its 50-50 like flipping a coin damn
Not spot on! He's admittedly NOT a Poly Examiner. Some good advice on cooperation. Just like any profession, not all Examiners are skilled and competent. The Fed has the most extensive polygraph training program. The commercial poly training world is hit or miss. Find out where your Examiner was trained.
Ask a firefighter. What determines what badge number you get when you graduate fire school?
Why would I take advice from someone who is not a polygraph examiner? I have been to the doctor more times than you have taken a polygraph. That does not mean I hand out medical advice. I would stick to giving advice on what you are an expert in and let polygraph examiners guide people through the process.
Thanks for the video man
What is ten power zero simple query?
How many questions are normally asked in a polygraph?
A forensic poetic fancy hails and unveiled its slackening piece ,is a notion of free verse prose and poetry about civilization.
I finally learned my lesson about not 🚭 loading seeds in high school. We can not ever find seedy weed at all any more. I quit quite a while ago.
Why have that shameful flag on you wall....shame on YOU
?
Telling the truth is the best method.
Polys are as reliable as coin flips. Polys are a pseudoscience. No such thing as a machine that can tell if a human is or is not lying.
When they ask control questions pretend the world is on fire.
When you lie pretend your relaxing on the beach.