Very accurate used right: MedlinePlus puts home tests at 97 to 99 percent accurate a week or two after a missed period - the failure mode is testing too early, not the test.
The NHS states the asymmetry: a positive is almost certainly correct; an early negative is less reliable. Accuracy practices: test from day one of the missed period, use first-morning urine, check the expiry, respect the read window. Negative test, absent period: retest in a few days or get a blood test.
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Common questions
How accurate are home pregnancy tests?
Very accurate, when the timing is right. MedlinePlus puts home pregnancy tests at 97 to 99 percent accurate when done a week or two after a missed period - the failure mode is almost never the test, it is the calendar: hCG, the hormone the tests detect, doubles roughly every couple of days in early pregnancy, so testing before the missed period is where false negatives live. The NHS frames the asymmetry precisely: a positive result is almost certainly correct, while a negative is less reliable, especially early. The accuracy practices: test from the first day of the missed period (earlier "early detection" claims assume rising hormone you may not have yet); use first-morning urine, when hCG is most concentrated; check the expiry date; follow the timing window exactly - a result read too late is not a result. A negative test with a still-absent period: retest in a few days or get a blood test, which detects hCG earlier and measures it exactly. Faint lines and digital confusion get their own answers - any line in the window counts. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can walk you through your result.