I had a Top Secret clearance and was not required to take a polygraph exam. Must have been added since then.
Same here. Just an FBI background check.
They haven’t. There are certain additions to the TS clearance that require a polygraph. However, the most common TS/SCI does not require it.
Same here. I was granted the TS without knowing I was even up for it.
I was assigned to a job which required TS-C and I heard from neighbors that government officials had questioned them about me. I had no idea it was going to be that thorough. No polygraph required. Mostly it was filling out long forms asking about all my foreign travels (which were many because of several cruises all over) and details of every one of my relatives.
TS does not require poly, TS/SCI does. Most poly is lifestyle poly (questions about what the investigators found in your background check). Say the investigators only found one bank account. A possible question might be “Do you have more than one active back account” -or- “Do you have any assets overseas”?.
There are some areas of TS/SCI that requires full scope poly (all topics for possible questioning). Much more exhaustive. It can take 2 to 4 hours.
I had to have a polygraph, a few years ago.
I had one in late 67. The BI stated that I knew some classmates in high school who had stolen surf boards. I took the polygraph.