TestWell Research · updated October 26, 2026
Lab Turnaround Index: how long Quest, Labcorp and BioReference really take
Every lab storefront says “1–3 business days.” We measured it. Across TestWell orders completed in the last 90 days, the median time from the laboratory receiving a specimen to final results was 0.3 days at BioReference, 1.1 days at Labcorp and 2.5 days at Quest. Counting from the draw itself, that is about 2 days at Labcorp and 3.5 days at Quest. The per-test table and the method are below; the same medians appear on each test page.
- BioReference
- 0.3 days
- median, specimen received → results · 80% within 2 days
- Labcorp
- 1.1 days
- median, specimen received → results · 80% within 4.6 days · ≈ 2 days from the draw
- Quest Diagnostics
- 2.5 days
- median, specimen received → results · 80% within 4.1 days · ≈ 3.5 days from the draw
By laboratory
Hours between the lab's “specimen received” status and its “results complete” status, per completed order, last 90days. The from-draw column adds the gap customers report between their draw and the lab's receipt.
| Laboratory | Median | 80th percentile | 95th percentile | Draw → received (median) | Draw → results (≈) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioReference | 0.3 days | 2 days | 4.5 days | — | — |
| Labcorp | 1.1 days | 4.6 days | 8.8 days | 0.9 days | 2 days |
| Quest Diagnostics | 2.5 days | 4.1 days | 5.7 days | 1 day | 3.5 days |
Orders are measured whole: a cart with five tests completes when its slowest test does. A single routine test (CBC, CMP, lipid panel) is typically faster than the lab's median here; a cart containing a send-out or culture is slower, which is what pushes the 95th percentile out.
By test
Median days from specimen received to results for orders that contained the test, by the lab that ran it. A cell is published only once the pair has at least 30 completed orders in the window; blanks mean not enough data yet, not that the lab does not offer the test.
Method
- Source. Status events the laboratories send for every TestWell order through our lab-network integration: specimen received (the lab accessioned the sample) and completed (final results posted). Result notifications to customers fire within the same minute as completed, so this is also when results appear in the portal.
- Window. Orders completed in the trailing 90 days as of October 26, 2026; refreshed weekly.
- Unit. One completed sub-order per laboratory. Per-test rows attribute the sub-order's turnaround to every test it contained, so they describe “carts that included this test.”
- Floors. A laboratory or test × lab pair is published at 30 or more completed orders; the draw-to-received gap at 20 or more customer-reported draw times. Sample sizes are not published.
- What is not counted. Time between ordering and walking into the lab, cancelled or re-issued orders, and physician review beyond the lab's own completion (results are released as soon as they post).
- Limits. The draw-to-received gap is self-reported by customers who marked their draw time. Turnaround varies by draw day (a Friday draw at a lab that batches an assay weekly will sit over the weekend), by location, and by the slowest test in the cart.
Cite as: TestWell Lab Turnaround Index, October 26, 2026, https://www.test-well.com/research/turnaround-index. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. Related: the Blood Test Price Index and Quest vs Labcorp prices.
Frequently asked questions
- How long do BioReference blood test results take?
- On TestWell orders over the last 90 days, the median time from BioReference receiving the specimen to final results was 0.3 days, and 80% of orders were complete within 2 days. Multi-test orders finish when the slowest test in them finishes, so a single routine test is usually faster than these medians and a cart with a send-out test slower.
- How long do Labcorp blood test results take?
- On TestWell orders over the last 90 days, the median time from Labcorp receiving the specimen to final results was 1.1 days, and 80% of orders were complete within 4.6 days. Counting from the draw itself (specimens typically reach the lab the next morning), the median is about 2 days. Multi-test orders finish when the slowest test in them finishes, so a single routine test is usually faster than these medians and a cart with a send-out test slower.
- How long do Quest Diagnostics blood test results take?
- On TestWell orders over the last 90 days, the median time from Quest receiving the specimen to final results was 2.5 days, and 80% of orders were complete within 4.1 days. Counting from the draw itself (specimens typically reach the lab the next morning), the median is about 3.5 days. Multi-test orders finish when the slowest test in them finishes, so a single routine test is usually faster than these medians and a cart with a send-out test slower.
- Why does the same test take longer at one lab than another?
- Each laboratory batches assays on its own schedule, and the lab a specimen is drawn at is not always the one that runs it — some tests are sent to a regional or specialty laboratory. In our data BioReference posts results fastest and Quest slowest for the same routine tests; both are CLIA-certified and the results are clinically equivalent. If speed matters and both labs are nearby, pick the faster one at checkout.
- Is this the lab's official turnaround?
- No. It is what TestWell customers actually experienced: the elapsed time between the lab's own status update that the specimen was received and the status update that final results were posted, measured across every completed order in the window. The labs' published turnaround times are estimates per test; this is the measured outcome per order, which is what you feel.
- Does this include the time it takes me to go to the lab?
- The headline medians do not — they start when the lab receives your specimen. Where we show a from-draw figure it adds the gap customers report between their draw and the lab's receipt (typically overnight). Time between ordering and walking in is yours, and is not counted anywhere on this page.