Examinee's suitability:  Persons who are suitable to undergo polygraph testing should minimally meet the following requirements.

1. Capacity to consent to the polygraph examination, as demonstrated by awareness and understanding of the context or reason for the examination referral. 
2. Possess a basic understanding of right from wrong, and the difference between truth and lies, as demonstrated by an ability to verbalize potential reasons for being honest or dishonest, and the potential rewards or consequences for dishonesty or truthfulness: and
3. Maintain consistent orientation to date, and location, for example: being able to provide basic identifying information, (i.e., name, address, date, date of birth, etc.) to complete an authorization form.

Unsuitability for polygraph:  Examiners should not conduct polygraph examinations on individuals determined to be unsuitable, in some cases it may be necessary to delay the test until the issues of unsuitability are resolved: conditions that may preclude an examinee from suitability for polygraph testing include the following:

1. Acute or active psychotic symptoms indicating a lack of contact with reality, such as unmanaged hallucinations or delusional thinking that will interfere with interactions or understanding during the test;
2. Severe or profound intellectual disability or developmental disorder, as evident during the pre-test interview or determined through psychological assessment;
3. Any diagnosed severe mental health condition with acute symptoms that would interfere with the examination;
4. Severe injury or pain, or acute illness that would interfere with the examination;
5. Observable impairment due to the influence of drugs or intoxicants.

Special populations:  There is no published research suggesting that any medical, mental health, or developmental issues will result in erroneous examination results.  Ethical, professional, and empirical practices suggest that the application of normative data and normative interpretation rules to persons whose functional characteristics are outside the normal range should be regarded with caution.

1. Persons with some acute or chronic medical/physical conditions may be regarded as marginally suitable for polygraph testing, at which times the test results should be accordingly qualified.

Medications.  Unless experiencing significant side effects, prescription medications will not usually impair the interpretable quality of the test.  Medication, dosages, length of time on medications, in addition to the individual’s physiology. Some increase in inconclusive results may occur from some medications, but it should be noted that medications do not act differently among the polygraph test questions, and no known increase in decision errors has been reported associated with the use of medication.

Examiners should advise examinees who take prescriptions to take all prescription medications as prescribed by their medical or psychiatric provider.

American Polygraph Association (2021). Model Policy for Evaluation of Examinee Suitability for Polygraph Testing. [Electronic version] Retrieved date, from http://www.polygraph.org.