A few weeks ago, after more than two years of evading COVID-19, I tested positive on a home rapid test. The line was barely there — so faint that it didn't even show up in photos. Was I tricking myself? Unfortunately, no. The much more obviously positive test I took the next day confirmed that I had COVID-19.

The whole experience got me thinking about how confusing it can be to take a rapid test — especially if your results seem ambiguous. I also started wondering what the tests are actually measuring, what that line actually means, and whether a darker or lighter positive line on a COVID-19 test can tell you anything about your individual infection.

We know that testing at the right time and isolating when you get a positive result can help stop the virus from spreading as we adjust to this new phase of the pandemic.

Plus, with changing guidelines, COVID-19 cases are still high in the U.S., the highly transmissible BA.5 variant becoming dominant and back-to-school season coming in fast, it’s important to know how to read the results from home tests properly.

Here's what you need to know about accurately interpreting those results — even if they're a little hard to parse.