it's a plastic stick with a cardboard tab on the end, kind of like the thing they put in your mouth at the dentist for x rays except smaller. You hold it in between your bottom gum and cheek for about 5 min. then they bag it n ship it They're being used more often cause theyre cheaper and show results more quickly, but it usually only tests up to 72 hours, sometimes less especially with pot from what I've read about it