An inconclusive polygraph result means the examiner could not decide whether your physiological responses pointed to truthfulness or deception. It is not a failed test, and it is not an accusation. What happens next depends almost entirely on who ordered the exam: police may keep investigating by other means, a federal agency will usually schedule a retest in 90 days to six months, and a private employer is tightly restricted in what they can do with the result at all.
What “Inconclusive” Actually Means
An inconclusive outcome says something about the data, not about you. The charts the examiner collected (blood pressure, pulse, breathing, skin conductivity) were too ambiguous to interpret with confidence. People on both sides of the table sometimes treat inconclusive as a soft failure. That reading is wrong. The examiner has rendered no opinion on your truthfulness, and in most contexts the result carries no direct consequence on its own.
The scientific foundation for polygraph testing is contested in the first place. The National Research Council’s review of the field found that while the American Polygraph Association claims accuracy rates between 80 and 98 percent, the underlying research has significant methodological limitations.1National Academies Press. The Polygraph and Lie Detection An inconclusive reading is the test acknowledging its own limits on a particular day with a particular person.
What Happens Next, by Context
The next step depends on why you were tested.
Law Enforcement Investigations
If police administered the polygraph during a criminal investigation, an inconclusive result does not create any formal consequence. The polygraph is an investigative tool, not evidence. Investigators will typically continue working the case through other means: additional interviews, physical evidence, witness statements, or a shift in focus. They may ask you to retest. An inconclusive result cannot be used as grounds for arrest or charges, and in most courts polygraph results are inadmissible regardless of the outcome.
Security Clearance Applications
For federal applicants, an inconclusive result is stressful but rarely fatal. Agencies routinely ask applicants to take a second or even third polygraph to reach a conclusive result.2ClearanceJobs. Inconclusive Polygraph Results a Common Issue for Clearance Applicants Retests are typically scheduled 90 days to six months after the original exam, giving temporary factors like illness, medication, or acute stress time to resolve. If results stay inconclusive across multiple tests, the agency usually investigates what keeps producing the ambiguity. A polygraph alone is rarely the reason for a clearance denial, though it can contribute if your background already carries concerns.
Federal polygraph programs are limited to specifically authorized agencies and government-certified examiners.3ClearanceJobs. Next Steps After an Inconclusive or Failed Polygraph Intelligence and counterintelligence agencies including the NSA, CIA, DIA, and NGA are authorized to administer polygraphs to employees, contractors, and applicants, along with any agency position requiring access to top secret or special access program information.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 2006 – Exemptions
Private Employment
In the private sector, the Employee Polygraph Protection Act makes it illegal for most employers to require, request, or even suggest that an employee or applicant take a polygraph.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 2002 – Prohibitions on Lie Detector Use The law also prohibits firing, disciplining, or refusing to hire someone because of a polygraph result, and that protection covers inconclusive outcomes just as much as “deception indicated” findings. If a private employer treats an inconclusive result as a reason to take action against you, that action itself may be unlawful.
Retests in private settings can happen within 24 to 48 hours since the scheduling is driven by the parties involved rather than agency policy. But the employer still has to meet every legal requirement that applied to the first exam. A retest is not a reset button on the procedural rules.
Why the Result Came Back Inconclusive
Knowing the likely cause matters, especially if you are heading into a retest.
Medical and Medication Factors
Anxiety is the most common culprit. A completely truthful person who is nervous about being tested can produce physiological reactions indistinguishable from deception. High blood pressure, heart conditions, respiratory issues like asthma, and chronic pain all distort the baseline readings the examiner relies on. Certain medications create particular problems. Beta-blockers suppress heart rate and blood pressure responses. Benzodiazepines dampen nervous system activity across the board. Stimulants, including ADHD medications, elevate baseline arousal so much that the examiner cannot separate anxiety from deception-related responses. Even over-the-counter antihistamines with sedating effects can flatten readings enough to make them unreadable.
You are expected to disclose any medication before the test. Stopping or changing a prescription to influence the result is medically dangerous and likely to be flagged as a countermeasure attempt, which produces a worse outcome than an inconclusive reading.
Examiner, Equipment, and Environment
Poor question design is a surprisingly common contributor. Vague or compound questions confuse the person being tested, producing muddled physiological data. An inexperienced examiner may struggle to establish a proper baseline, misinterpret the charts, or fail to account for a medical condition that was disclosed in advance. Improperly calibrated sensors or malfunctioning components can produce readings no examiner could interpret with confidence. Distracting noises, uncomfortable room temperature, or an interruption mid-test will do the same.
Suspected Countermeasures
Deliberate countermeasure attempts also push results toward inconclusive. Common techniques include controlled breathing, muscle tensing, and mental distraction exercises. Examiners use motion sensors and baseline comparisons to detect these, and a suspected countermeasure attempt often results in an inconclusive or “no opinion” finding rather than a clean pass.
Your Rights Before Agreeing to a Retest
Federal regulations implementing the EPPA give you specific protections during any covered polygraph exam, including a retest:
- You can stop the test at any time. No one can compel you to continue once the exam has started.
- You can review every question in advance. The examiner must present all questions in writing before testing begins and cannot ask anything during the test that was not reviewed beforehand.
- Certain topics are off-limits. The examiner cannot ask about your religious beliefs, racial views, political affiliations, sexual behavior, or union activity.
- You have the right to consult an attorney or representative before each phase of the test, and the testing facility must provide a private space for that consultation.
- Medical conditions are a valid basis for postponement. If a physician provides written documentation that a medical or psychological condition could cause abnormal responses, the test should not proceed.
If any of these rights were violated during your first exam, the inconclusive result (or any other result) may be legally meaningless, and the employer could face enforcement action.
When a Private Employer Can Even Ask
Because inconclusive results in employment contexts often lead to pressure for a retest, it is worth knowing when an employer is legally allowed to request one at all. The EPPA creates three main exceptions to its general ban:
- Federal, state, and local government employers are entirely exempt.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 2006 – Exemptions
- Contractors and employees working with the Department of Defense, Department of Energy (on atomic energy defense), and certain intelligence agencies can be polygraphed as part of counterintelligence functions.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 2006 – Exemptions
- A private employer can request (not require) a polygraph from a current employee if the test is connected to an active investigation of theft, embezzlement, or similar economic loss, the employee had access to the property in question, and the employer has reasonable suspicion that this specific employee was involved.7eCFR. 29 CFR 801.12 – Exemption for Employers Conducting Investigations of Economic Loss or Injury
Even under the investigation exception, the employer must provide a detailed written statement before the test that identifies the specific loss, explains how you had access, and describes the basis for suspicion. That statement must be signed by someone authorized to bind the company (not the polygraph examiner) and delivered to you at least 48 hours before the exam. Mere access to the property is not enough; the employer needs articulable facts pointing to you specifically.7eCFR. 29 CFR 801.12 – Exemption for Employers Conducting Investigations of Economic Loss or Injury All of this applies to a retest just as it did to the first exam.
An employer who violates the EPPA can face a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation, and you can file a private lawsuit in federal or state court seeking reinstatement, back pay, and legal costs. The statute of limitations for private claims is three years from the date of the violation.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 2005 – Enforcement Provisions
Challenging the Result
If you believe examiner error or improper procedures caused the inconclusive reading, you have options. Reputable testing organizations use peer review, where a second examiner independently scores the physiological charts without knowing the first examiner’s conclusions. Approximately 29 states license polygraph examiners, and those boards can discipline examiners for misconduct or incompetence. In an employment context, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division or pursue a private EPPA lawsuit.
Practical Steps
A few things to do now:
- Request a copy of the examiner’s report and any written findings. You are entitled to written notice of the results in employment contexts.
- Get any medication or health issue that may have affected the results on the record before a retest is scheduled.
- Confirm, before agreeing to a retest in a private employment context, that the employer has met the written statement, 48-hour notice, and reasonable suspicion requirements again.
- Talk to an employment or security clearance attorney if a job offer, clearance, or ongoing investigation turns on the outcome.
An inconclusive polygraph is frustrating, but it is the system acknowledging its own limits. The data was not clear enough to draw a conclusion, and that is a different thing from a finding of deception.