While shopping at Target today, I noticed a home cholesterol test on closeout sale.

It was a First-Check Home Cholesterol Test, regularly $12, but on sale for just $5.

I didn’t think it’d be very accurate, but thought I’d pick it up just for kicks.

After getting it home, I noticed that the test only measures total cholesterol, not HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. Oh well. But what do you expect for $5, right?

But my question is — are these things accurate?

I found one article at the Mayo Clinic that answers a cautious, “maybe.” Basically, they say, they might be accurate, but a home cholesterol test is no substitute for seeing a doctor. Fair enough, Mayo Clinic.

I’m wondering if anyone else has experience using home cholesterol tests. Did you find them to be accurate? How did the reading from your home kit compare to a test you had administered at the doctor’s office? (I last had my cholesterol measured a few years ago, so I don’t feel comfortable making comparisons.)