Basic examiner training and continuing education, arranged with partner polygraph schools and associations who organise and deliver the courses.
The British Polygraph Society is not an accredited polygraph school and does not accredit training. Every course referred to on this page is organised and delivered by a partner school or association, and any accreditation is held by that organising body.
The Society's role is to bring candidates together with those providers, to advise which qualification will meet UK requirements, and to support graduates into supervised practice. Before you commit to anything, the Society will tell you which organisation is delivering the course and which body accredits it.
Places are limited and courses are scheduled according to demand. Contact the Secretary for dates, fees, and availability.
Polygraph examination is not a regulated profession in the United Kingdom. There is no statutory licence, no register, and no legal minimum for training. The benchmark used across the profession is the American Polygraph Association's accreditation standard, because it is the only widely recognised published standard that sets instruction hours, curriculum content, and faculty requirements.
It matters directly for membership here: clause 5.1(a) of the Constitution requires every applicant to have graduated from a programme accredited by the APA, or one the Board recognises as equivalent. A short course that does not meet that standard will not qualify anyone for admission — to this Society or to most professional bodies. It is the first thing we check when advising someone on where to train.
Accredited schools must deliver not fewer than 400 hours of in-residence instruction over ten to seventeen weeks, with at least 95 per cent taught by recognised faculty. Distance learning does not satisfy the requirement. Exact hours vary between providers — the organising school supplies its own syllabus.
Consent and capacity, admissibility, human rights and equality duties, and on UK-facing courses the statutory regimes under the Offender Management Act 2007 and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
Professional codes, conflicts of interest, reporting duties, advertising and public statements.
From Marston and Keeler to modern comparison question technique — and what the field has abandoned along the way.
Validity, reliability, base rates, error types, and how to read published research critically.
Pneumographs, electrodermal and cardiovascular channels, seat activity sensors, calibration checks, artefact recognition.
Autonomic nervous system, respiration, electrodermal activity, cardiovascular response, individual and medical differences.
Deception, memory, arousal, suggestibility, vulnerable examinees, and the psychology of interviewing.
Validated single-issue and multiple-issue formats, screening versus diagnostic testing, and technique selection.
Relevant, comparison and neutral questions; target selection; reviewing every question with the examinee.
Informed consent, disclosure, issue development, and the acquaintance test.
Discussing results, handling admissions, closing the examination properly.
Manual and computerised scoring, the empirical scoring system, decision rules, inconclusive outcomes.
Recognising, documenting and reporting attempts to defeat the examination.
Report structure, impartiality, and the limits of what a report may assert.
Supervised practical examinations under observation, with feedback and quality review. The largest single block.
PCSOT, pre-employment screening, corporate and civil work, expert evidence, and jurisdiction-specific law.
Total 400 hours. The elective block is where UK law and practice are taught on courses aimed at examiners who will work in this country.
Talk to the Secretary about where you intend to practise and what the qualification is for. We identify partner schools whose accreditation will satisfy clause 5.1(a).
400 hours in residence with the organising school, assessed continuously. Graduation is awarded by that school, not by the Society.
Apply for Intern status under Part 2. Requires a supervising examiner, indemnity insurance and a DBS disclosure. Maximum four years in the grade.
At least 50 supervised examinations, two references, and insurance. Then 30 hours of CPD every two years under Part 4.
Admission is decided by the organising school, not by the Society, and requirements differ between providers. Most accredited schools expect a candidate to:
A criminal record is not automatically disqualifying. It is considered on its facts — the nature of the offence, its age, and its relevance to work with vulnerable examinees.
A candidate must ordinarily pass every component to graduate:
Courses arranged with partner organisations. Entries are added after each course concludes.
| Course | Organised by | Dates | Location | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Course title] | [Partner school or association] | [Dates] | [Location] | [Number] |
| [Course title] | [Partner school or association] | [Dates] | [Location] | [Number] |
| [Course title] | [Partner school or association] | [Dates] | [Location] | [Number] |
Cohorts are small, courses are scheduled according to demand, and the right course depends on where you intend to practise. Write to the Secretary to register interest, ask which courses are coming up, or discuss whether an existing qualification may be recognised as equivalent for membership.
Enquiries are also welcome from organisations wishing to train several examiners, and from polygraph schools and associations interested in delivering a course in the United Kingdom with the Society's support.
