Are HIV antibody rapid tests conclusive at 90 days?

Point of care tests are of 2 main types: they either just detect the presence of antibodies – which are what the body’s immune system produces in order to fight the virus - or detect both antibodies and parts of the virus.

The second type of test is able to pick up the presence of infection earlier on than the first type because it does not depend on waiting for the body to develop its immune response.

Whether or not a test is conclusive depends on the window period for that test. Read more in When should I test for STIs?.

Point of care, or ‘rapid’ tests generally have a window period of 90 days.

This means that a negative point of care test result at 90 days indicates that a person is negative for HIV infection.

A reactive result at 90 days would still need confirmation using a test done at the clinic.

A test taken before 90 days would need to be repeated after 90 days if the first test result was negative.