Which DNA Test Is The Most Accurate?

DNA Tests

Today, you can easily know if you are related to former President Obama, Beyonce, or even Donald Trump himself. All this is made possible through the help of DNA ancestry kits. These kits will get a sample of your DNA, after which they will try to match it to another person. This way, you can know if you are related to someone or not. Plus, you also get to know about your ancestors.

But are these kits reliable? If so, which DNA test is most accurate? Well, that depends on how accurate you expect the test to be. 

First off...

What Does Being Accurate Mean?

The DNA kit will read your DNA and try to match it to other people in their database. They will then try to build a family tree for you too. Therefore, the accuracy of the DNA kit depends on how perfectly the DNA can identify if you are related to the other people on their database.

A proper DNA testing kit should be able to match you accurately without any errors or presumptions. This way, you will be confident of being related to someone else. 

The DNA testing companies will also utilize a statistical approach to genealogy. In this case, they will only give you a probable result of your ancestry. As you go through the outcome, you will see that each relationship comes with a percentage next to it. This percentage is the likelihood of accuracy.

It is important to know that the DNA tests come in different categories. 

 

Here are the Types of DNA Tests that you should know about:

a. Autosomal (atDNA) Test

The atDNA test will analyze 22 out of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in the body. Usually, these chromosomes will be inherited equally from both parents; thus 50% from the father and 50% from the mother. It also means that both females and males can use them. With atDNA, a person will get half of their markers from every parent, quarter from every grandparent, and eighth from each grandparent, and it goes that way to the end. 

Since this type of DNA traces back to the ancestors, it is considered the best DNA test for finding a range of relatives. However, you should keep in mind that the results can be less reliable as they go further back. The reason for this is that the autosomal DNA will alter every generation.

b. Y-chromosomal (Y-DNA)Tests

The Y-DNA test will examine the genetic information from the Y chromosome, which is only found in males. In other words, the Y-DNA tests are only taken by males. Plus, they will only give paternal information. These are great tests for tracing the previous generations.

c. Mitochondrial (mtDNA) Tests

The mtDNA tests will check the mitochondrion, which is a component of the human cell. Normally, the mitochondrial DNA will be passed down from the mother to the child. This makes it the perfect test when you want to trace back your maternal ancestors. With the mtDNA test, you will get precise results about your ancestors and distant cousins. However, these will be linked to your mother’s side only. You also get to learn about the different regions that you may have come from, along with your family group, and ethnicity.

If you want to trace back your ancestors, the best test would be the mtDNA and Y-DNA. However, keep in mind that the Y-DNA is best suited for the paternal lineage, whereas the mtDNA is best suited for the maternal lineage.

Which DNA Test Do Most Testing Companies Use?

It would be wrong to point one specific DNA test and consider it the only test that most companies use. This is because different DNA tests are used in different situations. For instance, every person will use a specific test based on what they want. 

Do you need to know who your father is? The best DNA test would be the Y-DNA test. Maybe you want to know about your maternal relatives. In this case, you should go with the mtDNA. But if you want to know if there are any relatives out there, from either side of the parent, then the best test would be the atDNA. 

Therefore, the DNA test depends on what you need to get from the test. Nonetheless, every top company will have all the three tests available so that they can take care of different clients. 

Now back to our previous question; which DNA test is the most accurate?

If it is based on the testing company, you’ll have to put some factors into consideration. Here are some factors to consider;

• The reputation. What are people saying about the testing company? Are they satisfied with their services? What is the experience that they had with the testing company? Consider these factors before deciding to work with a specific company.

• How detailed is their database? The advancement and comprehensiveness of a DNA testing company’s database determine if you will get accurate results or not. They use your DNA samples to match it with other people in their database. 

• How long does it take to get the results? A good DNA testing company should be accurate, but it should also give you the results as soon as possible. Even as they are quick to provide you with the results, they should still be accurate with them.

A good example of a good and reliable that is also very accurate is AncestryDNA. This is one of the most popular DNA testing companies out there. Their services are prompt, they are known to help people find their family members, and they give you a look at your ancestry lineage. You can check out this ancestry.com review to help you know better about the DNA testing company. AncestryDNA is also known to offer accurate tests at very reasonable prices. You don’t have to hire a genealogist for thousands of dollars when you can get more detailed results for roughly $100.