After exposure to HIV, it can take from 3 to 12 weeks (21-84 days) for an infected person’s body to make enough antibodies for a screening test to detect them. This is called the window period.
An individual may test positive with the rapid self-test in as little as 21-22 days after infection, however depending on the person it can take as long as 3 months for them to produce sufficient antibodies to generate a positive result.
A negative result may not be accurate until 3 months after a possible exposure. If someone has been exposed to HIV and obtains a negative test result during the window period, they should re-test 3 months after possible exposure to HIV.