Polygraph tests accompany some Top Secret or TS/SCI clearances; however, they are not required to obtain either type of clearance and are not part of the clearance background investigation. A polygraph test may be required as an add-on requirement to a Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance depending upon the job or hiring organization.
Do I need a polygraph for my security clearance?
Another common misconception is that only Top Secret clearances are eligible for a polygraph. But some positions requiring only a Secret level of security clearance may also require a polygraph. A polygraph has no attachment to any particularly level of access or investigation.
Do all federal jobs require a polygraph?
According to William Henderson, a retired federal clearance investigator and author of "Security Clearance Manual," polygraphs are usually only issued "for Sensitive Compartment Information (SCI) and other Special Access Programs (SAP)." Some federal jobs do require a polygraph regardless of the clearance level required by the position.
How strict are the background investigations for Q clearances?
The background investigations for Q clearances are strict enough that they are generally reciprocally honored by all US Government agencies that require a Top Secret clearance. ‘TS/SCI’ is an acronym for ‘Top Secret Sensitive Compartmentalized Information’.
How often do you need a top secret clearance background investigation?
A Top Secret clearance background investigation must be completed every 5 years to keep an active clearance. The chances of starting at this level are slim to none. However, you can work your way up to it if you prove your competence and trustworthiness in a Secret-cleared job.
Do all clearances require a polygraph?
Not all security clearance applications require a polygraph, but when they are necessary it helps to know what you're getting into.
What disqualifies top secret clearance?
Top secret clearance holders must have no significant financial concerns. If the background check reveals a considerable amount of debt, missed payments, tax evasion, collection judgments, check fraud, foreclosures, embezzlement or bankruptcies, your application might be rejected.
Can you lose your clearance if you fail a polygraph?
The reality is while the government can't deny a security clearance based solely on a failed polygraph, it can absolutely deny a clearance based on negative information disclosed during a polygraph – that's the entire point.
What do they check for top secret clearance?
Credit and criminal history checks will be conducted on all applicants. For a Top Secret security clearance, the background investigation includes additional record checks which can verify citizenship for the applicant and family members, verification of birth, education, employment history, and military history.
How far back does a Top Secret clearance go?
ten yearsSecurity Clearance Adjudicative Process The clearance process for Secret level access uses an investigation called the National Agency Check with Law and Credit that goes back five years, while the clearance process for Top Secret uses a Single Scope Background Investigation that goes back ten years.
How much does a Top Secret clearance cost?
The average cost to process a TOP SECRET clearance is between $3,000 and about $15,000, depending upon individual factors. The government pays the cost of clearances for military personnel and civilian government employees.
Can anxiety make you fail a polygraph?
According to a report from the National Academy of Sciences, “[a] variety of mental and physical factors, such as anxiety about being tested, can affect polygraph results – making the technique susceptible to error.” Unfortunately, once you have failed a government polygraph test, there may be little you can do to ...
Can a truthful person fail a polygraph?
According to Goodson, some people who are telling the truth can fail polygraph tests by trying too hard to control their body's responses.
Can you pass a polygraph if you lie?
Yes, it is possible to lie and pass a polygraph.
What would stop you from getting a security clearance?
The most common causes of rejection include submission of application packages with incomplete information, e.g., subject not including the company submitting the investigation request as a current employer, missing SSN for spouse or co-habitant, fingerprint cards, information for relatives and failing to provide ...
What can cause you to fail a security clearance?
Table Of ContentsYou Have Some Type Of Criminal Record.Incomplete Application Or Missing Information.Gaps In Your Employment Record.Problems With Your Residency.Financial Instabilities Or Problems.Your Options Should You Fail Your Security Clearance.Things You Need to Know.
Does the CIA check your Internet history?
At the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), we're committed to protecting your privacy and will not collect personal information about you unless you choose to provide that information to us.
What will disqualify you from federal employment?
In most cases, individuals tried in federal criminal courts are disqualified from government jobs. Crimes, such as fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion, and similar white-collar offenses, are highly frowned upon.
Demand for Polygraph Candidates
The demand for polygraph candidates is always high. Some candidates may face delays when looking to obtain a security clearance polygraph, and some amount of stress about what the polygraph entails. But if you can push through the awkwardness of the process, the career benefits and job security are significant.
Common Positions Requiring a Polygraph
Outside of the intelligence community or certain intelligence positions within the Department of Defense, some law enforcement agencies also require polygraphs as a part of their investigation and hiring process. They are particularly common within the FBI and Customs and Border Patrol.
What is the most important thing to ask when applying for a polygraph?
One of the areas that raises most concern to applicants are requests by the polygraph operator to disclose prior drug or alcohol abuse. Being truthful is always the best policy in this regard. Often, however, the operator will then ask applicants to how many times they engaged in the subject behavior. You should always avoid being forced to provide a specific number, unless you have a very clear memory of exactly how many times you engaged in the activity.
What questions are asked in a polygraph?
These questions can include questions regarding past criminal activity, to include drug use, your propensity to lie and forge documents, infidelity, family relationships, and your mental health.
What is a polygraph test?
Polygraph tests are part of the investigation process. The polygraph operator will make a full report regarding your polygraph examination and will also provide an assessment with respect to your cooperation. Any information that is obtained during the examination can be used against security clearance applicants at a later time, such as during a formal hearing, at which time the government counsel can refer to your polygraph answers.
What is the importance of polygraphs?
It is important to understand that polygraph exams rely on physiologic changes in your body as an indicator of your truthfulness. Physiologic changes can take many forms such as changes in your heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and skin moisture (or, sweating).
What is a lifestyle polygraph?
The counterintelligence polygraph focuses on whether you pose a threat to turning into an agent of a foreign power, whereas, a lifestyle polygraph focuses more on your decision making process and whether any of your decisions could subject you to blackmail in the future.
Which government agencies conduct polygraphs?
Many government agencies conduct counterintelligence polygraphs. These agencies include but are not limited to: (1) the Department of Defense; (2) The Department of Homeland Security; (3) the Department of Energy; (4) the Department of Justice; (5) the Central Intelligence Agency; (6) the Federal Bureau of Investigations; (7) the National Security Agency; (8) the Defense Intelligence Agency; and (9) the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Do operators pressure applicants to answer questions?
Similarly, operators often pressure applicants to provide answers to questions that the applicant is unsur e of. Perhaps feeling pressured to provide an answer in these situations, some applicants guess or make up answers to their questions. It is important, however, not to do this.
What happens when you pass a polygraph?
When the questions are over, the reviewer will ask you about your responses if the results are inconclusive or it's determined that you lied. Official results of the test are not released until another polygraph examiner confirms them. If you passed, you will not be asked in for another test.
What are the two types of polygraphs?
There are two types of polygraph exams that can be issued: counterintelligence and lifestyle. Counterintelligence questions cover the following topics: espionage, sabotage, terrorist activities, deliberate damage of U.S. Government Information Systems, intentional compromise of U.S. Government Classified Information, ...
Can you take a polygraph if you are sick?
If you're sick, you most likely won't be tested until you get better, as illness may make you uncomfortable, which will affect the readings. Whether your take medication or not, Thomas P. Mauriello, the Department of Defense chief, recommends the following prior to taking a polygraph:
Do you need a polygraph for security clearance?
Not all security clearance applications require a polygraph, but when they are necessary it helps to know what you're getting into. According to William Henderson, a retired federal clearance investigator and author of "Security Clearance Manual," polygraphs are usually only issued "for Sensitive Compartment Information (SCI) ...
What to know before taking a polygraph?
1. YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST (AND WORST) ADVOCATE. If you think lawyers are sharks, wait until you meet your polygraph examiner.
What do polygraph examiners look for?
Polygraph examiners are trained to look for applicants who are attempting to employ counter-measures (e.g. controlled breathing), and they almost always ask whether an applicant has prepared for the exam in any manner or spoken with others about it. Doing any of these things is the quickest way to get yourself disqualified from the hiring process and probably denied a security clearance. Don’t fall into this trap and don’t listen to the hustlers on the internet who purport to have some silver bullet for “beating” the polygraph.
What is the trick that examiners use to accuse someone of committing major criminal activity?
One common trick that examiners use is to accuse someone of committing major criminal activity in an effort to see if the examinee will admit to lesser misconduct as a way of rebutting baseless allegations.
What is the purpose of a polygraph?
Fundamentally, the polygraph examination process is about obtaining admissions of misconduct by taking people out of their element, creating discomfort, and establishing the perception that the machine is a “lie detector.” The actual science behind the polygraph is so dubious that, in most cases, polygraph evidence is banned from being introduced as evidence in court. As long as you understand that the process is essentially just a mind game – and as long as you’re honest, concise, and self-confident in your answers – you should find the examination to be just another routine step in the security clearance process.
What is the best analogy for a polygraph?
Polygraph examinations are perhaps best analogous to the children’s book, “If you Give a Mouse a Cookie,” wherein each time the mouse is given something, he demands more. If the honest answer to a particular question is not what the examiner purports to want, keep pressing it anyway and don’t relent – even for a crumb. 2.
Is a security clearance exam a mind game?
As long as you understand that the process is essentially just a mind game – and as long as you’re honest, concise, and self-confident in your answers – you should find the examination to be just another routine step in the security clearance process.
Can a polygraph examiner be used against you?
Your polygraph examiner is not your friend and, much like with the police, anything you give them can – and often will – be used against you.
What is a secret clearance?
A Secret clearance requires a position to need classified information and a check to make sure there are no long arrest records or any current wants or warrants. The Top Secret clearance has some nuanced differences depending on the agency or department, but generally it requires proof of “bona fides” meaning an investigator will look at records back to high school to determine that you are who you say you are. It also looks at character flaws by interviewing friends and acquaintances, it looks at behavior issues by obtaining police records, if any, from any place you have lived, and it looks at your financial health to make sure you are not motivated to do something wrong due to financial hardship. An interview is used to gauge your responsibility and some agencies also require a polygraph exam to make sure your motives are right and that you don’t have any secrets that would subject you to blackmail. Youthful indiscretions, despite popular belief, do not always exclude you from a clearance as long as you can show you have matured and that any questionable behavior is well behind you.
Why do security professionals listen to psychics?
The same reason some law enforcement agencies sometimes listen to psychics. Security professionals work within a cloud of uncertainty and deceit, and sometimes the temptation of magical answers overcomes their rational judgment .
What is the whole person approach to a decision?
The people making the decision (adjudicators) are supposed to use a “whole person” approach where they fundamentally stand back from the individual elements in the background investigation and by seeing the whole picture, try to decide if the applicant would be likely to compromise classified information either intentionally or by being manipulated by others. It is necessarily a subjective process and some people get clearances that shouldn’t have them and others are excluded who might have been very trustworthy and protected the information. The decisions usually go through several levels of review so the potential for personal bias or mistakes in the decisions are minimized, but they still occur.
Do you have to take a polygraph with TS clearance?
I have had a TS clearance for most of my adult life and I’ve never taken a polygraph. Only certain positions with special access requirements require a poly.
Can you blackmail someone for concealing their behavior?
Having a behavior that the person would want to conceal from others - at just about all costs - could also subject the person to blackmail with silence being traded for secrets. As our society changes the kinds of behaviors that people would try to conceal change, so it isn’t about having elements in your background that are not common, it is more about your own desire to hide those elements.
Can you fool a polygraph?
Opinions vary and some people can apparently fool a polygraph. But that isn’t a reason to not use them.
Is it a court of law to use a reliable hiring method?
It is not a court of law, therefore any proof that it is or is not reliable is immaterial, the employer can use whatever information or criteria for his or her hiring practices they choose if you do not like it or do not agree with it, seek employment elsewhere
How long does a secret clearance last?
Upon obtaining a Secret security clearance, the clearance background investigation is considered current for a period of 10 years or up to 2 years after leaving the last job that required the clearance, whichever comes first.
What is the secret clearance for the Department of Energy?
The Department of Energy also has a Secret level clearance that is referred to as an L clearance. An L Clearance is used by the U.S Department of Energy (DoE) along with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for civilian access.
How is a security clearance decision determined?
The decision is determined by the candidate’s verified information during the investigation stage. If a candidate is granted a security clearance, this is the end of the security clearance application process. There are two additional potential stages of this process, depending upon an individual’s circumstance. Appeals.
How often do you need to do a background check for a secret clearance?
A Top Secret clearance background investigation must be completed every 5 years to keep an active clearance. The chances of starting at this level are slim to none. However, you can work your way up to it if you prove your competence and trustworthiness in a Secret-cleared job.
What is a Q clearance?
A Q Clearance is needed to access National Security Information, Top Secret Restricted Data, and Secret Restricted Data.
What is the exception to the DHS?
The exception to this is if you served with the US Coast Guard, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS). If you were issued a clearance while serving with the US Coast Guard, then your clearance was sponsored by DHS.
What jobs require a security clearance?
It’s only activated as a requirement by the organization. Popular clearance jobs include military and federal government jobs, and military and intelligence agencies. It’s vital to keep in mind that only American citizens are eligible for a security clearance in the US.
