Learn about medical tests, including what the tests are used for, why a doctor may order a test, how a test will feel, and what the results may mean. Medical tests can help detect a condition, determine a diagnosis, plan treatment, check to see if treatment is working, or monitor the condition over time. A doctor may order these tests as part of a routine checkup, to check for certain diseases and disorders, or to monitor your health.

A medical test is a medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. Medical tests relate to clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics, and are typically performed in a medical laboratory.

Tests performed in a physical examination are usually aimed at detecting a symptom or sign, and in these cases, a test that detects a symptom or sign is designated a positive test, and a test that indicated absence of a symptom or sign is designated a negative test, as further detailed in separate section below.

By purpose-
Medical tests can be classified by their purposes, the most common of which are diagnosis, screening and evaluation.

Diagnostic-A diagnostic test is a procedure performed to confirm or determine the presence of disease in an individual suspected of having a disease, usually following the report of symptoms, or based on other medical test results.This includes posthumous diagnosis. Examples of such tests are :-