There are a few ways to test for herpes.

1. Antibody tests can determine whether you have HSV-1 or HSV-2. These tests can also tell if you have ever been exposed to either of these strains in the past (IgG test) or was just recently exposed to one of them (IgM test).

2. You'll have to wait for a blister to appear. Then, a doctor can take a viral culture of blister fluid from the lesion and look for positive signs of herpes simplex virus. The herpes simplex virus can grow within 2 - 3 days. The diagnosis is done via PCR test from the blister fluid detects small amounts of DNA and can tell whether the herpes virus is present in the blister OR via Tzanck test of the skin lesion. This test involves staining human cells within the blister fluid with a dye. If the cells from the fluid contain viral particles, they become visible. The Tzanck test cannot determine which strain of virus is in the blister, so it's not THAT accurate.