A Testr visit ends with a result read at your door, and a few days later there may be a second, laboratory result behind it. The two are not the same thing, and the words on them mean specific things. This is what each one means, in plain language.
The rapid screen is read on site
Every Testr visit starts the same way. A certified collector arrives at your home or workplace, verifies who they are with the 4-digit PIN in your app, and collects a urine specimen. The specimen is read on a 14-panel cassette after a set development time. Each panel is a small strip that reacts to one drug class, and the collector records each panel as negative or presumptive positive.
Three more strips check the specimen itself: pH, oxidants and creatinine. They do not look for a drug. They show whether the specimen is in the normal range for urine, which is why a report lists them separately from the 14 panels.
The 14 panels, what each one screens for and the screening cutoff for each are all listed on the 14-panel drug test page, and the short codes printed on the cassette are decoded on the abbreviations page.
Negative
A negative panel means the specimen was below that panel's screening cutoff. A cutoff is a concentration, set for each panel, at which the strip reads positive. Below it, the strip reads negative.
That is worth saying plainly: negative means "below the cutoff at the time of collection," not "nothing was ever there." Every drug class has a detection window, the span of time after use during which it typically stays above the cutoff in urine. The windows are different for every panel and are listed on each panel's page.
Presumptive positive
A presumptive positive means the panel reached its cutoff. The word "presumptive" is there for a reason. A rapid cassette is an immunoassay: it recognises a class of compounds, not one exact molecule, and some medications and foods are known to react with certain panels. A presumptive positive is a screening result. It is a reason to confirm, not a conclusion on its own.
The collector does not interpret the result for you. It is recorded exactly as read, and the reading is released to your account.
Laboratory-confirmed
If you ordered the Rapid Test with Laboratory Confirmation, the collector seals the specimen under chain of custody after the rapid read, and it travels to a CAP-accredited laboratory. The laboratory does not use a strip. It uses LC-MS/MS, a method that identifies the specific compound and reports a measured level for it. Results come back in about 72 hours, and the laboratory's confirmation menu covers 81 substances, including many that no rapid panel screens for.
A laboratory-confirmed result is the one to rely on when a decision hangs on the answer. It names the compound and gives a number, where the rapid read gave a class and a yes-or-no.
The 2-hour upgrade window
If you booked the At-Home Rapid Test and want the laboratory behind it after seeing the rapid read, you can upgrade in the app within 2 hours of collection. The window is not a scheduling rule. It is the time during which the sealed specimen is still viable for confirmation, so the same specimen that was read at your door is the one the laboratory tests.
Where your result lives
Results are released only to the account that booked the visit. You can see the panel-by-panel read in the Testr app or at testrla.com/account, and when a laboratory result comes in it appears alongside the rapid read with a matching chain-of-custody code. You can download a PDF record whenever you choose. Nobody else is sent a copy.
Questions people ask
Does a negative mean the person has never used anything?
No. It means every panel was below its cutoff at the time of collection. Detection windows vary by drug class; the ranges are on each panel's page.
Why is it called presumptive?
Because a rapid immunoassay screens for a class of compounds and can react to things other than the drug it is named for. Confirmation by the laboratory identifies the specific compound.
Can I add laboratory confirmation after the visit?
Yes, in the app, within 2 hours of collection. After that the specimen is no longer viable for confirmation and a new collection would be needed.
How long does the laboratory take?
About 72 hours from collection.
Who sees the result?
The account holder. Results are released to your private records, and you decide whether to download or share a PDF.
A collector can be at your door in as little as 3 hours, 7 AM to 7 PM, seven days a week. Book a visit when you are ready.