01 Basic Polygraph Examiner Course: (400 Classroom Hours)
The basic polygraph examiner course is a 400 hour in residence curriculum that is designed around a five day work week with eight hour class days. Students must successfully complete a weekly written examination, homework study, a minimum of two hours of polygraph chart time and a final written examination with a practical exam. Students must maintain a test grade point average of 75% and pass the final written exam with at least 75%. Students must also pass the final practical exam by successfully conducting a mock crime polygraph examination on a role player. All assignments are required to be turned in before successful graduation.
Students are expected to attend 100% of the training hours provided. Significant illness or emergency are the only excused absence. All missed class hours for excused absence must be made up prior to course completion. A student may not miss more than 10% of the actual classroom presentations for any reason in order to successfully graduate.
Following completion of the ten week course, students receive a Course Completion Certificate and are graduated to the field for live testing. Students will be required to submit ten (10) actual polygraph examinations that meet professional standards following graduation. Students are also required to complete 40 hours of advanced training within 12 months following graduation. This training requirement can be fulfilled by completing the PCSOT course, or by attending our one week course for advanced training/quality control review. Advanced training ensures continuity of industry best practices and is appropriate for academic review prior to licensing examinations. Following the completion of an advanced course and the submission of acceptable field exams the student will receive an Accredited Graduate Diploma.
Our curriculum may be only be modified with a prior written request and approval by the School Director. The course normally has the following modules of instruction.
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History and Development of the Detection of Deception: (8 hours)
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Polygraph Test Question Construction: (32 hours)
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Validated Polygraph Formats and Scientific Testing: (48 hours)
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Mechanics of Instrument Operation: (32 hours)
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Polygraph Basic Skills Development: (80 hours)
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Pre-Test Interview and Post Test Procedures: (40 hours)
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Psychology and Human Behavior: (24 hours)
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Physiology Related to Polygraph Administration: (24 hours)
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Test Data Analysis and Countermeasures: (56 hours)
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Ethics and Standards of Practice: (8 hours)
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Legal Aspects Related to Polygraph: (8 hours)
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Practical Exam, Research Project and Student Studies: (40 hours)
02 Screening of Supervised and High Risk Clients (PCSOT) Course: (40 class hours)
This is an advanced course approved by the American Polygraph Association and the Joint Polygraph Committee for Offender Testing. This course is for examiners seeking professional accreditation for assisting in risk assessment and compliance verification with mandated requirements of supervision for probation, parole or sex offender treatment programs.
03 Advanced Training and Proficiency Evaluation Course: (32 + class hours)
This course is for field examiners who have conducted at least 30 field polygraph examinations and are seeking to demonstrate they are conducting polygraph exams in compliance with the latest standards of practice. This course will cover polygraph topics related to fully understanding evidence based practices and compliance with American Polygraph Association Standards of Practice. This is a rigorous course including subject suitability, test question construction, collecting acceptable physiology tracings, examiner visual hand scoring, the use of computer scoring algorithms, and how to report probabilistic results for forensic polygraph tests. The course is designed to meet National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and the American Society for Testing Materials mandates for all forensic science service providers to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities to conduct valid polygraph examinations by undergoing routine proficiency evaluation. Students must attend all training hours, which will include homework assignments, and pass a written test and a practical review. The practical will require the student to submit three randomly selected polygraph examinations conducted in the six months prior to the course for review and evaluation. A minimum of 75% is required for both testings and the course is reported as Pass/Fail. Certification period is good for three (3) years and all material is returned to the student at the end of completion.
04 Continuing Education Course: (TBD hours)
Courses are for licensed polygraph examiners wanting to complete Continuing Education Hours required by various entities. Courses may be on line or in person and cover topics that vary.