High School
In general, take courses that will prepare you for college. More specifically, be sure to take courses that help you understand how the body functions and how it is affected by stress. Courses in psychology, physiology, and biology will be especially useful.
Postsecondary Training
A college major in science or criminal justice will prepare you for this career. In addition, classes in English and writing will help prepare you to write reports, and classes in public speaking will help you develop the self-confidence you will need when testifying in court.
Candidates for lie-detection schools usually need four-year college degrees, but applicants with two years of college courses in criminal investigation plus five years of investigative experience may be accepted. Polygraph training, often referred to as a Psychophysiological Detection of Deception Program, in an approved school usually takes from six to eight weeks.
You must take polygraph tests upon entering a lie-detection school to ensure you have the good moral character this field requires. During your training, you learn how to operate the polygraph, how to develop and ask questions, how to interpret polygraph charts, the legal aspects of polygraph testing, and about the physical responses the polygraph measures. You observe polygraph tests administered by others, administer the tests yourself, and hear and see audio and video playback of your own performances. After you complete your study in lie-detection, you go on to an internship of at least six months before becoming fully qualified as a polygraph examiner.
Other Education or Training
The American Polygraph Association and state-level organizations—such as the Maryland Polygraph Association, Tennessee Polygraph Association, and Illinois Polygraph Society—offer webinars and in-person seminars and courses at their annual conferences. Contact these organizations for more information.
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