Laboratory Medicine Online

Table. 1. Table 1

Performance characteristics that laboratories should consider for verifying and adopting quantitative molecular genetic tests

Characteristics	Definition
Accuracy	The closeness of agreement between a test result and the true value of the analyte
Precision	The closeness of agreement between independent test results obtained under prescribed conditions
Linearity	The range where the test values are proportional to the concentration of the analyte in the sample
Reportable range	The span of test result values over which the laboratory can establish or verify the accuracy of the instrument or test system measurement response
Limit of detection	The lowest concentration of analyte that the assay can consistently detect with acceptable precision
Reference intervals	The range of test values expected for a normal or healthy population