A method of performing an automated assay on a plurality of specimens, said method comprising: a) providing an automated instrument configured to process a plurality of samples from said plurality of specimens for two or more target analytes according to two or more respective assay workflows; b) receiving, at a dock within the automated instrument, the plurality of specimens and processing each specimen to obtain a respective sample to be tested, each sample of the plurality of samples held in a respective sample vessel; c) automatically transferring a first portion of each of said plurality of samples to be tested from the respective sample vessel to a respective one of a plurality of first vessels that comprise reagents for a first test for a first target analyte; d) automatically performing the first test on the first portion of each of said plurality of samples to determine the presence or absence of the first target analyte according to a first assay workflow; e) selecting a subset of samples from the plurality of samples in which the presence of the first target analyte was determined; f) automatically transferring a second portion of each sample of the selected subset of samples from e) from the respective sample vessel to a respective one of a plurality of second vessels comprising reagents for a second test to determine the presence or absence of a second target analyte according to a second assay workflow, wherein the first target analyte is different than the second target analyte, wherein for each sample, said sample, said first vessel, and a receptacle for said second vessel are located on a single test strip, and wherein foreach test strip in the selected subset of samples, the second vessel comprising the reagents for the second test is provided in the receptacle; and g) automatically performing the second test on the second portion of each of the selected subset of samples according to the second assay workflow, the second test providing a result indicating, for an individual sample included in the subset of samples, the presence of the second target analyte in the specimen from which the individual sample was processed. a) providing an automated instrument configured to process a plurality of samples from said plurality of specimens for two or more target analytes according to two or more respective assay workflows; b) receiving, at a dock within the automated instrument, the plurality of specimens and processing each specimen to obtain a respective sample to be tested, each sample of the plurality of samples held in a respective sample vessel; c) automatically transferring a first portion of each of said plurality of samples to be tested from the respective sample vessel to a respective one of a plurality of first vessels that comprise reagents for a first test for a first target analyte; d) automatically performing the first test on the first portion of each of said plurality of samples to determine the presence or absence of the first target analyte according to a first assay workflow; e) selecting a subset of samples from the plurality of samples in which the presence of the first target analyte was determined; f) automatically transferring a second portion of each sample of the selected subset of samples from e) from the respective sample vessel to a respective one of a plurality of second vessels comprising reagents for a second test to determine the presence or absence of a second target analyte according to a second assay workflow, wherein the first target analyte is different than the second target analyte, wherein for each sample, said sample, said first vessel, and a receptacle for said second vessel are located on a single test strip, and wherein foreach test strip in the selected subset of samples, the second vessel comprising the reagents for the second test is provided in the receptacle; and g) automatically performing the second test on the second portion of each of the selected subset of samples according to the second assay workflow, the second test providing a result indicating, for an individual sample included in the subset of samples, the presence of the second target analyte in the specimen from which the individual sample was processed.