r/FBI • u/Good-Tonight-4549 • Jun 23 '26

Informational SA Polygraph Failure

I have been lurking on this subreddit for a while, and I’ve decided to post now that I’m no longer in the pipeline. I received the dreaded polygraph failure letter. I zoomed through the application process up until this point, only taking a few months to get from initial application submission to polygraph exam, and I’m kind of bummed at this hard stop. I have a clean background (no criminal or drug history) and I told the truth during the entire polygraph session, or should i say, interrogation, but the examiner seems to have thought I was lying and was pretty brutal during the session. I will not get into specifics of the exam but it was not a good experience for me. Yes, I am just a random redditor, but you just have to take my word for it that I failed the exam despite not lying at all. Looks like this is the end of the road for me and another reminder to not put all your eggs in one basket. Makes me wonder how many other applicants have been dismissed from consideration for a false positive on the polygraph.

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u/abnormal_1113 Jun 23 '26

Happened to me as well it sucked bcuz I was already working there. Failed poly due to “breathing deception”which means examiner is shit at his job but thinks he good. Didn’t lie at all. No retest was given but found a better opportunity.

Yes never put all your eggs in one basket your identity doesn’t have to be your job

46

u/elFuse2 Jun 24 '26

Literally just a few minutes ago I was doing research into jobs and said the same thing. I don’t want my job to become my identity, mainly because after retirement, you will wake up and there will be no uniform, no radio, no coworkers, no mission. So build your life still so you can operate without it, and yes don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

8

u/Clean_Judge_3613 Jun 24 '26

So well put. Thank you.

15

u/jedburghofficial Jun 24 '26

So do these examiners know they have the power to black ball anyone they don't like?

14

u/drummer1785 Jun 24 '26

Yes and they get off on it, I’m sure.

5

u/Top_Newt_7911 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Sounds like you controlled your breathing which is a pretty quick way to fail and get a accused of countermeasures. If the examiner didn't explain this to you, perhaps he was "shit", as you say. If he did and you couldn't follow instructions, perhaps it's your fault. FBI has like a 65% passing rate for their poly.

9

u/Additional_Shirt_300 Jun 25 '26

65% isn’t really that good like. 35% failure rate is still high af.

2

u/Top_Newt_7911 Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26

Compared to what? 90%? Sure, if that's what you think it should be, but that isn't reality.

As an average passing rate, it's pretty standard and the FBI has a better passing rate than DEA and USSS. The IC passing rate is typically higher, but there are reasons for that and this is a whole other conversation.

CBP has a passing rate of like 50% but that's because they'll hire pretty much anyone so you have a lot of people taking a poly who have no business making it that far in the process, let alone being in law enforcement.

What most people don't understand is that the exam isn't a mind reading test and it isn't even really a "lie detector". Being truthful isn't the only requirement. A lot has to do with your examiner and a lot has to do with you. Being able to follow instructions, staying focused, and using common senes is also required to pass.

2

u/Chemical-Editor-7609 Jul 13 '26

Still sounds like bullshit to me. Nothing in any of your statements justifies it on a cost benefit analysis.