Presumptive and Confirmatory Tests (Paperback)

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! In medical and forensic science, a presumptive test is an analysis of a sample which establishes either: 1. The sample is definitely not a certain substance; 2. The sample probably is the substance. For example, the Kastle-Meyer test will show that a sample is not blood, or that the sample is probably blood (but it may be one of a range of less common substances). Further chemical testing is required to prove that the substance is blood. Confirmatory tests are the tests required to confirm the analysis. Confirmatory tests cost more than simpler presumptive tests, which is why presumptive tests are often made to see if confirmatory tests are necessary. In a like manner, in medicine, a presumptive diagnosis identifies the likely condition a patient has, and a confirmatory diagnosis confirms the presence of the condition.