TheA1ctest is a blood test that measures your average blood glucose (blood sugar) over a three-month period.
Everyone hasglucosecoating their hemoglobin, but people with high blood glucose levels have more.
They then use these measurements to estimate your three-month average blood glucose.
Illustration by Tara Anand for Verywell Health
A1c levels are usually organized by range on a chart and categorized as normal, prediabetes, or diabetes.
When your A1c falls between 5.7% and 6.5%, it is considered prediabetic.
The treatment typically involves diet and lifestyle changes and medications.
Then, the sample is analyzed in a lab.
The number of sugar-coated hemoglobin cells as a percentage of total hemoglobin is calculated to determine your A1c.
They may also order this test if you have symptoms of diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed.
People who have already been diagnosed with diabetes usually have their A1c levels checked every six months.
Day-to-day blood glucose levels can fluctuate, but the A1c test provides your three-month average blood glucose level.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.All about your A1C.
National Institutes of Health.The A1C test & diabetes.
American Diabetes Association.Understanding A1C: A1C looks back.
National Institutes of Health.Managing diabetes.
