Sample Polygraph Test Questions

One of the most common questions asked before a polygraph exam is, "What questions will I be asked?" This is justified—fear of the unknown is paramount. The good news: There are no surprise questions in a professional examination. Each question is discussed with the subject before the session. The second piece of good news: APA protocols precisely define the types of questions asked. In this article, we show real examples relevant, control and neutral questions from various types of cases - betrayal, theft in a company, court case.

Three types of questions in each survey

1. Relevant questions

These are questions that directly relate to the case we are investigating. They must be unambiguous, time-specific and phrased as a closed question (answer: yes/no). Example: "Between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2025, did you have sexual contact with anyone other than your wife?"„

2. Review questions

These are questions about something that virtually everyone will answer with a specific category—they serve as calibration. For example, "Did you ever tell a lie to avoid punishment before your 25th birthday?" Virtually everyone answers "no," but in reality, most people have done so. The physiological response to such a question is used to compare it with the response to the relevant question.

3. Neutral questions

Safe, reassuring ones. "Do you live in Poland?" "Are we currently in January?" The response to such questions should be minimal—this is the baseline.

Examples of questions in a treason case

This is the most common type private matter. Relevant questions are formulated precisely:

„Between March 1, 2025, and today, did you have any sexual contact with anyone other than your husband?”
„Have you had any intimate encounters with [name of specific person] in the last 6 months?”
„Have you exchanged sexual or romantic messages with anyone other than your partner in the last year?”
„Are you currently hiding information about your relationship with another person from your husband?”

Bad questions (that an expert won't ask):

„Do you love me?” — emotions are not verifiable.
„Have you been thinking about another woman?” — thoughts are not verifiable.
„Are you faithful?” is a subjective concept.
„Are you cheating on me?” — unspecified in time and concept.

Each question is discussed with the participant before the session, with precise timeframe and word meaning determined. More information about this category can be found at: Will a polygraph detect infidelity?.

Examples of questions in a corporate case (theft at work)

A typical scenario: 18,000 PLN has been missing from a company's cash register over the past three months. Four people with access to the cash are suspected. Each is questioned in a separate session:

„Between August 1, 2025, and October 31, 2025, did you withdraw any amount of money from the company cash register without the consent of your supervisor?”
„Do you know the name of the person who took this money?”
„During this same period, did you help anyone take money from the company cash register?”

Questions NO They can be phrased like "have you ever stolen anything?"—that would be a lifelong, unverifiable question. Focusing on time and topic is key. More about company research: polygraph examination for companies.

Examples of questions in a court case

The court assigns questions to the expert based on the evidentiary thesis. Typically:

„On [date] at [time], were you at the apartment at [address]?”
„Did you see [name] hitting [name] at that time?”
„During the period from [date] to [date], did you have any knowledge that [event] occurred?”

Questions in court cases must be exceptionally precise, as they will be reviewed by the court and the other party. Any unclear question can be grounds for challenging the opinion. Therefore, the expert prepares the questions in consultation with the party's attorney. More: polygraph in court.

Examples of review questions

These are similar across all types of cases. The goal: to get the subject to answer "no" to a question to which most people would realistically answer "yes." The physiological response to such a question is used to compare it with the response to relevant questions.

„Have you ever told a lie to avoid getting into trouble before you were 21?”
„Have you ever taken anything that didn't belong to you before you were 30?”
„Have you ever cheated on someone who trusted you before your 25th birthday?”

Why it works: We've all lied at some point (a little childhood lie), stolen something (a lollipop from the store at age 6), and cheated on someone. Most people still answer "no"—partly out of a desire to look better, partly out of self-idealization. This answer is accompanied by a subtle physiological response, which is compared to the response to relevant questions.

Examples of neutral questions

The simplest, without emotional charge:

„Do you live in Poland?”
„Are we currently in 2026?”
„Is this room lit?”
„Is your name [name]?”

The goal: to establish the subject's physiological baseline—what their natural, undisturbed response to a question looks like. All responses to relevant and control questions are compared to this baseline.

Structure of the series of questions in the survey

A typical series in the Utah ZCT protocol looks like this (simplified):

Neutral question (N): "Do you live in Poland?"„
Introductory question: „Are you going to answer all the questions in this session truthfully?”
Control question (K): „Have you ever taken anything that did not belong to you before you turned 25?”
Relevant Question (R): „Between March 1 and today, did you have sexual contact with anyone other than your wife?”
Neutral question (N): "Is it currently 2026?"„
Control question (K): "Did you lie to avoid punishment before you turned 21?"„
Relevant Question (R): „During this same period, were you seeing [person’s name] outside of work?”
(e.t.c.)

The entire series lasts 5-7 minutes and is repeated 3-5 times with the same questions in the same order. The repetitions are used to achieve a stable, replicable result—if the response to the relevant question is consistently stronger than the control question, the probability of deception is high.

How an expert formulates questions together with a client

The process is as follows:

Initial interview — the client talks about the case, the expert asks specific questions: "since when have you suspected?", "what specific period are we talking about?", "what specific person?", "what type of contact?"„
Formulating questions together — the expert proposes specific wording, the client confirms that this is exactly what is meant.
Discussion with the subject Before the session, the expert sits down with the participant and goes through each question. They ask if the participant understands and if the question is ambiguous. If the participant requests further clarification (e.g., "I don't know what 'intimate contact' means exactly"), the question is clarified.
Signing the consent — the subject signs an informed consent form containing a list of all questions that will be asked.
Session — exactly the same questions, in the same order, repeated 3-5 times.

Customers' most frequently asked questions

„Can I see the questions before the session?”

Yes. This is standard. Without it, the study is methodologically invalid. The questions are agreed upon jointly and signed as an annex to the informed consent.

„Can I refuse to answer a specific question?”

Yes. You can say at any time that you don't want to be tested on a specific question. The expert will design the series without that question. You can also stop the entire study at any time—that's your right.

„What if I don't understand the question?”

The question will be rephrased. The expert ensures that each question is completely clear to you. If you use another language as your primary language (English, German, Russian, Ukrainian), we will conduct the research in your language.

„Will there be questions about me personally, unrelated to the case?”

No. The questions are strictly related to the case being investigated, plus standard screening and neutral questions. There are no "questions about the past," "questions about intimate matters not covered by the assignment," etc.

Summary

The questions on the polygraph are always discussed with the subject before the session. There are no surprise questions. Relevant questions must be precisely time- and conceptually specific—this determines the reliability of the results. Each session includes a mix of relevant, control, and neutral questions in the APA protocol. The session lasts 90-180 minutes, and feedback is provided to the client within 48 hours. Price-list. Serving all cities — Warsaw, Cracow, Katowice, Poznań, Wroclaw, Gdansk and others.

Sample Polygraph Questions - What Do Sessions Look Like in Practice?