POLYGRAPH
Upon passing the PST I received a phone call to schedule a polygraph examination. The poly was somewhat stressful but not inherently difficult. If you take a polygraph exam, just be truthful and follow directions. It is not meant to trick you in any way, and the administrator explains everything very thoroughly. If you pass, you will be notified about 10 minutes after the test is concluded and you will be asked to have your fingerprints taken.
BACKGROUND CHECK
Several days after that, I was called by my background investigator who asked a few questions pertaining to my background (obviously) and then he asked which of my references would be the best ones to call, which I thought was very considerate. My background investigator kept me informed and advised me of any hurdles throughout the entire background process such as references not being available or other such issues. The total background process took less than a month, but I've heard others take up to 5 months.
ORAL BOARD
After that, I was called to schedule my oral board interview. I was given the option to choose one the next day, the following week, or two weeks ahead. After I scheduled the time and date I just had to show up on time in a suit, and I think at that point I pretty much had the job. There were about 5 other interviewees that showed up with me, and all of us passed. Normally, oral boards would he conducted in the presence of a lieutenant or captain, a senior trooper from recruiting or someone from HR, and another trooper or sergeant. However, mine was conducted by two troopers. They asked about 15-20 questions to which I was expected to give a response and they would transcribe them into a worksheet that was reviewed by someone higher up. About 5 minutes after the oral board I was given my conditional job offer.
