A Pap test, also known as a Pap smear, is when a healthcare provider collects cells from the cervix and then sends them to a laboratory to see if they are normal or abnormal and to what degree. An HPV test is when the cervical cells are tested to see if they have high-risk types of HPV. The HPV vaccine, which is given in two to three separate shots spread over six to 12 months, prevents nine high-risk types of HPV, including HPV 16 and HPV 18. The CDC recommends that children begin the vaccines at age 11 (though they can start as early as age 9). The CDC says some women can benefit from getting it up to age 45.