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The polygraph test is an examination of a person’s truthfulness with a measure of science. This is accomplished by measuring physiological reactions by the person taking the test while answering a series of questions. The person taking the test first needs to fill out an information form that includes a pre-test interview. They will then take the polygraph exam with up to twenty questions which are asked one after another and answered with yes or no responses. These tests can be used for various cases such as criminal cases, background checks, law enforcement work, immigration cases, and more.
The polygraph test can be performed by a certified technician or person trained to use a Polygraph machine. They must take the pre-test interview so that they know about any medical conditions, medications, and other things that may affect the results of the test. The entire process of this exam is different based on if you are taking it for employment purposes or if there has been some sort of crime committed.
It depends on how many questions are asked and also how comfortable you are with taking it, since this could play a role in your heart rate as well as other things. When being taken for a job, someone usually takes around 20 questions under 5-8 minutes while one done by law enforcement officers is longer with around 80 questions, at least forty minutes in length.
What is this test used for?
This is usually your choice. You could take a test for a variety of reasons like employment, law enforcement, family case or just a desire to prove something a little more true to another person.
– Why is a person asked to fill out an information form prior to the exam?
This is so we know exactly what to expect. For example, preexisting medical conditions are a primary reason tests may be ruled inconclusive.
– Does everyone get the same questions during their polygraph exam?
No, everyone gets their own unique and relevant questions.
– What happens if a person needs to take the test again?
We will schedule you for the next available time for your re test.
– How many questions can be asked during the polygraph examination?
This is up to you, but usually no more than 20 with us.
– Who administers this test usually, and are they certified to do so?
Certified technicians only give a polygraph test, and they are appropriately certified to do so.
– Is there any way out of taking one of these tests?
Polygraph tests are not mandatory anywhere and are completely voluntary.
Polygraph tests are not perfect. There have been many cases where an innocent person is taken for a guilty one due to given false information and also false test results.
The accuracy of the polygraph depends on how many questions you’re asked. When less time is dedicated to taking the test, it will not be as accurate as when time is allotted for the person being examined to recover from each question before moving on to another one. The more intense the subject matter, emotional reaction, or length of details given in facts towards a crime that has been committed; this can increase heart rate or activity which could complicate the reading results in some cases too. As you can see, these tests aren’t exact science, but they do provide some guarantee that there’s a real chance of seeing some truthful reactions during the test.
Polygraph tests are in many cases not admissible in court. Investigators often use this method to make a preliminary determination as to how truthful someone is. If it shows that they have lied or has an inconclusive result, then this will not help prove innocence in your regard. Many people believe that polygraph exams are foolproof, but nothing’s perfect when it comes to science and technology. However, these machines still provide law enforcement with useful information which can be used against you as well as for you if you were innocent or guilty of something based on given results at the time. You can always ask for a dismissal of charges based on a voluntary test. There is, however, no guarantee that it would be granted.
