Experience

• If you have never been a polygraph examiner, you must complete a six-month internship under the supervision of a licensed polygraph examiner. The supervising examiner must have had his license for a minimum of three years. If you are obtaining your license through reciprocity, you must have one year of experience as a licensed examiner in another state that has similar licensing standards as Virginia.
  
  

Application

• To obtain approval to take the licensing examination, you first have to submit a licensing application to the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. You can download an application from the DPOR website. If you are applying for a license through reciprocity, submit a completed application and a letter of good standing from the agency that previously licensed you. Otherwise, submit the application with an internship completion form that you can also download from the DPOR website. As of January 2011, the fee is $95 for a reciprocity license and $200 for a license earned through examination.
  
  

Examination

• After approving your licensing application, the DPOR will send you a letter granting permission to take the licensing examination, unless you are applying through reciprocity, in which case you are exempt from the examination requirement. The DPOR gives the examination four times per year at its Richmond, VA office. The examination consists of two parts. The first part consists of 150 multiple-choice questions and you must attain a score of at least 75 percent to pass. In the second part of the examination, you are required to prepare a list of questions, based on a scenario provided to you, that you would ask during a polygraph examination. You will receive a score of "pass" or "fail" on the second section of the examination. The DPOR will issue your license if you pass both parts of the examination.
  
  

Renewal

• Polygraph examiner licenses are valid for one year. The DPOR will mail a renewal application to you prior to the renewal date. As of January 2011, the renewal fee is $55. If you let your license lapse between one and six months, the fee to reinstate your license is $75 (as of January 2011). If you fail to renew your license within six months, you must reapply for a license and retake the examination.