Pick your test, put in when your appointment is, and see the preparation laid out as real clock times — when to stop eating, when water is still fine, what to wear and bring.
🇦🇺 Australia
📋 Sources: Healthdirect Australia; Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA); Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ); RANZCOG antenatal guidelines; Australasian Sleep Association; Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA); Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR). General guidance only, not medical advice. The instructions on your referral, your appointment letter, or from the testing facility always take priority — they account for the specific test and for you. This page never tells you to start, stop or change a medicine.
1. Which test?
2. When is your appointment?
Optional — without it you still get the timings, just not as clock times.
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3. Your plan
Common questions
How many hours do I need to fast before a blood test?
Most pathology tests need no fasting at all — a full blood count, kidney and liver function, TSH, HbA1c, PSA, CRP, B12, folate and coeliac screening are all done non-fasting. Where fasting is required — fasting glucose, fasting lipids or cholesterol, fasting triglycerides, iron studies, fasting insulin and some hormone tests — the usual window is 8 to 12 hours. Plain water is fine throughout and is encouraged, because it makes veins easier to find. Coffee, tea, juice and milk all break a fast, including black unsweetened coffee. Your request form or pathology collection centre has the final word.
Can I drink water before a blood test or a scan?
For a fasting blood test, plain water is fine and encouraged. For a CT with intravenous contrast, fluids are usually permitted up to 2 hours before, with 4 to 6 hours of fasting from solid food. Before an endoscopy, plain water is usually permitted up to 2 hours before. Each facility sets its own rule, so confirm with the letter you were given.
Do I take my usual medicines before a test?
This page does not give medication instructions, because the answer depends on the medicine and on you. Ask your GP, specialist or the testing facility before the day. Two situations come up often enough to plan ahead for: before an exercise stress test, some heart medicines may need to be withheld, but only if you are told to; and metformin is often withheld on the day of a CT with contrast and for 48 hours after. Never stop a medicine on your own.
What should I bring to my appointment?
Your referral or request form, your Medicare card, any concession card, and a list of your current medicines. For a scan, bring any previous imaging or reports if you have them. If you are having sedation for an endoscopy, you cannot drive for 24 hours, so arrange a responsible adult to take you home.
Does this replace the instructions from my clinic?
No. It sets out the general Australian guidance for common tests so you can plan the timing, and it converts those windows into real clock times for your appointment. The instructions on your referral, your appointment letter or from the testing facility always take priority, because they account for the specific test and for you.