If you have a polygraph exam coming up, you may feel anxious about the questions your examiner has lined up for the test.
Note that standard procedure requires polygraphers to conduct pre-test interviews before administering the polygraph exam. During the preliminary interviews, an experienced polygraph examiner will inform the examinees of the topic they’ll be queried over. The polygrapher will also seek the defendant’s unreserved consent, without which the entire test is null and void.
But while it’s important to know the polygraph topic you’ll be queried over in advance, professional polygraphers won’t disclose the exact questions to the examinees until the D-date.
Fortunately, you can make an intelligent guess based on the topic at hand.
Read below as we uncover frequently asked questions in various lie detector tests.
Types of Questions Asked In Polygraph Exams
Despite the theme topic, any lie detector test would involve a series of related questions. Moreover, it is prudent to note that all the questions will be reviewed with the examinee prior to the data collection phase. There would be no surprise questions asked during the test.
The queries broadly fall into the following categories:
1. General Questions
Most polygraph exams begin with general questions. The idea is to make the defendant comfortable in the examination room and counter check specific facts gathered during the pre-test interviews.
For instance, asking someone, “Is your alias “Bingo?” helps confirm their identity and credibility, particularly if they already shared this information.
General questions may further be split into personal and professional.
If a defendant is embroiled in a robbery case at their former workplace, an examiner may ask, “Do you work with Lindsay Printing Press.” The question can help elicit a more genuine response than simply asking, “Were you involved in a robbery at Lindsay Company.”
2. Relevant Questions
This expression is a misnomer, as all polygraph questions should be topic-relevant. A more appropriate term would be case-related questions.
Case-related questions target the core of the interview. They provide invaluable clues on whether the defendant had a direct involvement in the matter under investigation.
3. Irrelevant Questions
After being asked a series of case-related queries, most polygraph examinees will naturally develop unease. That’s where irrelevant questions come in.
Irrelevant questions pose the least risks of self-incrimination. They allow the defendant to revert to their physiological baselines, helping to prevent false negatives.
4. Control Questions
Control questions are employed to gauge varying levels of salience by asking questions related to the test issue but not exactly covering the test issue.
Suppose the relevant question is “Did you shoot John Smith?”
In that case, the control question would be “Are you the kind of person who would shoot John Smith?”
Samples of Frequently Asked Polygraph Questions
General Questions
- Did you wilfully submit to being polygraphed? – Confirms the defendant’s knowledge of and consent to the lie detector test.
- Is your nickname “Wrangler” – Confirms a piece of personal information previously disclosed.
- Are you at least 18 years of age? – The age of majority is a critical consideration before administering lie detector tests.
- Are you in Manhattan right now? – An important polygraph question rule that verifies the examinee understands their whereabouts and what’s going on.
- Do you study at (SCHOOL NAME), or do you work at (COMPANY NAME)?
Case-Related Questions
In Criminal Investigations
- On (ENTER DATE), did you shoot Martin Brown? – The most direct question concerns the defendant’s involvement with the crime.
- Do you know who shot Martin Brown? – Uncovers if more people were involved in the crime.
In Pre-employment Screening
- Were you 100% truthful on your job application – It helps uncover early evidence of deception.
- Have you ever been sacked from a job? – An affirmative answer could be an indictment of the examinee’s efficiency or integrity.
- Are you seeking to join our company for other reasons besides genuine employment? – They could be spies for all you know.
- Have you deliberately lied about any questions I asked? – An intelligent way to double-check their responses.
In Therapy Sessions
- Have you engaged in any form of sexual activity or conversation with anyone besides your current spouse since your relationship started?
- Have you ever lied to someone about your current relationship status?
- Do you have a secret dating profile?
- During the past year, have you used any illegal or scheduled substances?
Solidifying the Credibility of Polygraph Reports with the Right Questions
Polygraph questions should be brief and framed. To formulate the best response, an examinee must understand each query outright.
Besides, keep the questions topic-relevant. While slightly deviating from the principal issue is allowed (such as while asking control questions), sticking to the topic enhances the test’s accuracy by sifting out irrelevant responses. In the same vein, only ask questions that require flat-out ‘Yes’ or No’ answers.
