Pick the right panel

Which STD Panel Should I Order?

Already know which tests you need? This picks the panel that covers them: the common core, a broad 10-test panel, or a single test, with straight talk on timing and what stock panels quietly leave out.

This helps you choose which product to order. It won't diagnose you. If you have symptoms now, see a clinician rather than wait on a mail-in kit.

The basics

Panel vs individual tests

A panel bundles several infection tests into one order and one sample collection. A single test checks for exactly one infection. The trade-off is simple: panels cost less per infection and take the guesswork out of what to include, while individual tests let you pay only for the one or two things you actually need.

For a routine screen or a new-relationship check, a panel almost always wins on value and peace of mind. Order individual tests when your concern is narrow and specific, for example a partner named one infection, or you're retesting a single result. Not sure what belongs on the list? Build it first with which tests do I need?, then come back here to pick the panel that covers them.

Read the label

What a 10-test panel really covers (and misses)

Usually included

HIV (types 1 and 2)
Syphilis
Chlamydia and gonorrhea (urine)
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C
Herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2 blood test)
Trichomoniasis (on many, not all)

Commonly left out

Throat and rectal swabs (oral/anal exposures)
Trichomoniasis, on some stock panels
Type-specific HSV where it's clinically useful
HPV (no routine blood test exists)
Same-day treatment if something is positive

A urine-and-blood panel checks the genital site only. If you have oral or anal sex, chlamydia and gonorrhea can live in the throat or rectum and go undetected unless you ask for site-specific swabs. That single gap is the most important thing to check before you buy.

Timing

Why ordering too early wastes a test

Every test has a window period: the time after exposure before it can detect an infection. Order the full panel the morning after and several results will simply be too early to mean anything, so you'd pay to retest them later.

Rough guide, and only a guide: chlamydia and gonorrhea are usually reliable at about 1–2 weeks; HIV depends on the test (an RNA or 4th-generation antigen/antibody test detects sooner than antibody-only); syphilis and hepatitis can take several weeks. If it's very recent, test what's reliable now and retest the rest at the window. Get your exact dates from the test-window calculator. And if a recent HIV exposure is the real worry, an early HIV RNA option exists, and if it's been under 72 hours, PEP can still prevent HIV, so act now rather than wait to test.

Where to order

At-home kit vs lab draw vs clinic

At-home kit

Collect a sample at home, mail it, results in a few days. Private and convenient, best for a symptom-free routine or new-partner screen.

Lab draw

Order online, then go to a partner lab for the blood or urine collection. Often faster and covers more analytes than a mail-in kit.

Clinic visit

The right call for symptoms, same-day treatment, free or low-cost testing, or throat and rectal swabs with an exam.

Compare at-home kits Find testing near you

Keep going

Tools that pair with this one

Which tests do I need?

Build your CDC-recommended panel from scratch, then come back to pick the product.

At-home kit comparison

Compare mail-in kits on coverage, turnaround, and price.

Test-window calculator

When each test becomes reliable after a possible exposure.

Find testing & care

Clinics, at-home kits, and free options near you.

Sources

Where this guidance comes from

The recommended tests come from the CDC's STI screening recommendations; the timing and panel-coverage notes reflect the CDC's test-performance guidance. We help you match a product to that guidance, we don't reinterpret it or diagnose you.

Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated July 2026

Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team

Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →

3 Sources

Data & references

CDC: STI Screening Recommendationshttps://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/screening-recommendations.htm
CDC: Which STD Tests Should I Get?https://www.cdc.gov/std/prevention/screening.htm
CDC: STI Treatment Guidelines (test performance & windows)https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/

EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider. This tool is general information based on published CDC guidance: it is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. Which tests are right for you is a decision for you and a clinician.

Good to Know

Choosing a panel: frequently asked questions

Panels vs single tests, what a 10-test panel misses, and when to skip the mail-in kit.

What's the difference between a panel and ordering individual tests?

A panel bundles several infection tests into one order, usually HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis at minimum, often with hepatitis, herpes and trichomoniasis added. Individual tests let you order exactly one or two infections. Panels are almost always cheaper per infection and save you deciding, so they suit a routine or after-a-new-partner check. Individual tests make sense when you only need to confirm a single specific concern, for example a partner told you about one infection. If you're not sure what to include, our which-tests-do-I-need tool builds the CDC-recommended list first.

What does a typical 10-test panel actually cover?

Most 'comprehensive' or '10-test' panels sold direct to consumers cover HIV (1 and 2), syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, herpes (HSV-1 and HSV-2), and sometimes trichomoniasis. They're a strong screen for a routine check. What they commonly leave out matters just as much: throat and rectal swabs (the panel usually tests urine and blood only, so oral or anal exposures can be missed), trichomoniasis on some panels, type-specific HSV testing, and HPV. If you have oral or anal sex, ask specifically for site-specific swabs, a mail-in panel rarely includes them by default.

Can I order a panel too early?

Yes, and it's the most common way people waste a test. Every test has a window before it can detect an infection: chlamydia and gonorrhea are usually reliable at about 1 to 2 weeks, HIV depends on the test type (an RNA or 4th-generation test detects sooner than an antibody-only one), and syphilis and hepatitis can take weeks. Order the full panel the day after an exposure and several results will simply be too early to trust. If it's very recent, test what's reliable now and retest the rest at the window, our test-window tool gives you the exact dates.

At-home kit, lab draw, or a clinic visit?

An at-home kit is private and convenient: you collect a sample and mail it, with results back in a few days, and it's ideal for a symptom-free routine or new-partner screen. A lab draw (you order online, then go to a partner lab for the blood/urine collection) can be faster and covers more analytes. A clinic visit is the right call when you have symptoms, need same-day treatment, want free or low-cost testing, or need throat/rectal swabs and an exam. If you have symptoms now, skip the mail-in wait and see a clinician.

Is a comprehensive panel worth it if I have no symptoms?

Often yes. Most STIs cause no symptoms, so a symptom-free screen is exactly when a broad panel earns its place, it's how infections get caught before they cause harm or get passed on. That said, 'more tests' is not automatically better: routine herpes blood testing isn't recommended for people without symptoms because of false positives, and you don't need everything every time. Match the panel to your situation, then add site-specific swabs if your exposures call for them.

Is what I enter here private?

Completely. This tool runs entirely in your browser: your answers are never sent to a server, saved, or shared, and there's no account. Close the tab and they're gone. It's general information to help you choose a panel, not a diagnosis or a prescription, and it can't replace a test or a clinician.

Have a different question? Browse the full STD & STI FAQ library, every question we answer, in one place.