APA Certification as an Admission Requirement
BPS membership in the examiner classes (Intern Member, Member, and Senior Member) requires current certification from the American Polygraph Association (APA), or a qualification recognised by the Management Committee as equivalent. Loss, lapse, or revocation of APA certification is a ground for termination of membership under clause 5.5 of the Constitution.
Why APA Certification
The APA is the largest international professional body for polygraph examiners. Its training, certification, and continuing education framework is widely relied on by practitioners, commissioning bodies, and courts. By requiring current APA certification, the Society ensures that every examiner listed in the BPS directory has met an established external standard of training and continuing competence.
What APA Certification Means
An APA-certified examiner has:
- completed an APA-accredited basic polygraph training course;
- satisfied APA supervised-practice requirements;
- is bound by the APA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice; and
- meets the APA’s continuing education requirement of not less than 30 hours every two years.
Relationship Between the Two Bodies
The BPS is not an affiliate, chapter, or subsidiary of the APA. It is a distinct UK membership body. The Society’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice are aligned with APA’s published documents (Code of Ethics effective 4 September 2021; Standards of Practice amended 23 August 2024), adapted to the law of England and Wales.
Members must comply with both frameworks. Where the two frameworks differ, members are expected to apply the stricter requirement.
Further Information
Information about APA certification is published by the APA at polygraph.org.