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:?: This past week I took a polygraph exam for a smaller town out of state. I'm working on relocating to be closer to my fience and to try a different level of LE. Since MA doesn't do polygraphs on applicants I had no idea what to expect.
The polygraph went fine for the most part however after the first set of questions after being hooked up, the polygrapher told me that I was breathing different than most people. He specificly said that most people breath at a rate of 12-18 breaths a moment while i was breathing at a rate of about six. I responded that I was a little nervous and was consciesly trying to calm myself. He told me I needed to get my mind off the test and that If my breathing continued weird it would be an inconclusive exam. During the second part of the test I again breathed at the same rate as the first one. At the conclusion of the exam the polygrapher showed me the differance between a truthful and lieing test subject as well as mine. My perspiration rate and heart rate remained steady throughout as well as my breathing rate (although not at the average rate). The polygrapher told me he would have to review the results and then send the report to the hiring agency but that I may need to either retake the exam or I may be disqualified. He also said that if I did retake the exam and it happened again, he would classify me as unreadable.
My question for the people on here is how can you be unreadable on a polygraph? Isn't it only pass/fail? Doesn't the fact that my perspiration rate and heart rate not changing at all, plus my breathing rate staying steady and not changing mean Im not lieing? Has this happened to other people? Any thoughts on this?
The polygraph went fine for the most part however after the first set of questions after being hooked up, the polygrapher told me that I was breathing different than most people. He specificly said that most people breath at a rate of 12-18 breaths a moment while i was breathing at a rate of about six. I responded that I was a little nervous and was consciesly trying to calm myself. He told me I needed to get my mind off the test and that If my breathing continued weird it would be an inconclusive exam. During the second part of the test I again breathed at the same rate as the first one. At the conclusion of the exam the polygrapher showed me the differance between a truthful and lieing test subject as well as mine. My perspiration rate and heart rate remained steady throughout as well as my breathing rate (although not at the average rate). The polygrapher told me he would have to review the results and then send the report to the hiring agency but that I may need to either retake the exam or I may be disqualified. He also said that if I did retake the exam and it happened again, he would classify me as unreadable.
My question for the people on here is how can you be unreadable on a polygraph? Isn't it only pass/fail? Doesn't the fact that my perspiration rate and heart rate not changing at all, plus my breathing rate staying steady and not changing mean Im not lieing? Has this happened to other people? Any thoughts on this?