state police

[Baseballer35]

Any body have any details on what exactly they test for in NJ while going through the process for becoming a state trooper.... Like if they specifically test for AS or just street drugs....thanks...

[1badcamaro]

they only test for street drugs, however, i'm about to test for them and i was worried that when they gave me the polygraph they'd ask about drug use and i'd say i dont use, but steroids would count and they'd see that i was lying.............so good luck to you

[Baseballer35]

thanks anyone else?

[houseofpain]

i have NUMEROUS police officer friends who juice. here is what you do while getting tested. when they do the polygraph they will ask you the same questions first and then again while hooked to the machine. the first go around you can elaborate, the polygraph is yes/no. they will not ask have you done/do you do steroids . they will ask have you ever done any illegal drugs, simply state "yes" i have smoked pot before or something to that effect. then when the polygraph question rolls around say yes when they ask if you have ever taken illegal drugs, then its on to the next question.

[worldtraveln]

" the first go around you can elaborate, the polygraph is yes/no. they will not ask have you done/do you do steroids . they will ask have you ever done any illegal drugs, simply state "yes" i have smoked pot before or something to that effect. then when the polygraph question rolls around say yes when they ask if you have ever taken illegal drugs, then its on to the next question."


That won't work. The second time around they will ask you "have you ever taken illegal drugs, besides the pot you mentioned earlier?" At this point you either fail the test by saying no or you will have to admit to aas usage.

There are techniques to beat the polygraph but they require that you can consistantly differentate between the different types of questions. I looked into this once and it seemed like a difficult thing to do with out proper training.

[Georgie]

Guys, the thing to know about a polygraph it that it can't differenitate between the truth and a lie. Its vodoo science. All it does is measure your breathing, perspiration, and heart beat levels. I have several buddies who are firefighters and police officers. Many of them failed their first polys and were telling the 100% god honest truth. They were just nervous. You just need to remain calm and relaize that that machine is not really a "lie detector". If you know that, you are already half way there to "beating" the test.

[Big Slick]

Do you get asked about steroids when becoming a fire fighter?

[Georgie]

Do you get asked about steroids when becoming a fire fighter?

yes, but the proper answer to any question regarding any drug is NO, even if you have used it. The machine can't really tell if you are lying. It is only measuring certain responses in your body. Stay calm and you will be fine. Polys are absolutly ridicuolus. Besides for use in government jobs they are illegal to use in any hiring practice. The bottom line is they are very inaccurate. They should be made illegal to use in hiring practices in government jobs as well. In fact many major cities (such as chicago) do not use a poly for the police, because they don't want to be sued. They know its very unreliable.

[carbs-rule]

Some of this stuff about the polygraph is BS. A polygraph cannot tell if you are lying, its up to the guy reading the machine to do this. Being nervous will not make you fail the test. Everyone is nervous taking it. They will ask you mostly yes/no questions, and they will often ask the same questions multiple times to establish a base activity level. I've heard of up to ten times per question, depending on the reader. More and more testers are also only using yes/no questions now too. Testers will ask questions that seem to have little relevance but actually are used for inter-item consistency. Don't worry about being nervous, most people leave the polygraph room sweating and looking like they want to jump off a bridge. Its almost impossible to beat these guys. The best you can probably hope for is an inconclusive result, in which case they may test again. If I were you, I would go ahead and take the thing. If you look at the RAMPART reports from L.A., you'll notice a lot of officers got hired even after polygraph tests and other psychological tests indicated they being untruthful. Have you taken the MMPI yet, or will you have to?

[carbs-rule]

By the way, there is really only one type of test using the polygraph that is said to be reliable and valid, and even that is debated. Employers take this into account, and often hire regardless of the polygraph. You will probably have to take other psycological tests that look for agression and such. Also, steroid use in itself can possibly make you unfit for the test itself, in which an inconclusive is more likely. Common colds, flues, hangovers, etc. tend to lead to more inconclusives. I would avoid the thumbtack thing, these things can take a few hours.

[Son Of Khadafi]

If you put a tack in your shoe during the test you will be under duress through the whole thing, the results will be inaccurate.