When should I test?

If you believe you’ve been recently exposed to HIV, seek immediate in-person evaluation at your nearest clinic for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is most effective when started within 72 hours of exposure to prevent HIV infection.

If the 72-hour window has passed, wait at least 2 weeks after the exposure event before testing—it takes that long for your test to be able to detect HIV in your body.

If you don’t have a known exposure event and are just screening, you can test at any time! To be certain of your status, it’s a good idea to test and then test again after 4 weeks to be sure you’ve cleared the window when antibodies may still be developing, and you didn’t get a false negative.