• Desirable: A cholesterol below 200 mg/dL (5.18 mmol/L) is considered desirable and reflects a low risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Borderline high: A cholesterol of 200-240 mg/dL (5.18-6.22 mmol/L) is considered as moderate risk.
• High Risk: A cholesterol above 240 mg/dL (6.22 mmol/L) is considered high risk. Your doctor may order a lipid profile (as well as other tests) to try to determine the cause of your high cholesterol. Once the cause is known, an appropriate treatment will be prescribed.

Note that cholesterol is high during pregnancy. Women should wait at least 6 weeks after the baby to have cholesterol measured. Drugs known to increase cholesterol levels include anabolic steroids, beta blockers, epinephrine, oral contraceptives and vitamin D.
How do you do this test? You prick your finger with a lancet to get a drop of blood. Then put it on a piece filter paper that contains special chemicals. The paper will change color depending on how much cholesterol is in your blood. Some testing kits use a small machine to tell you how much cholesterol there is in the sample.
For more information, try the National institute of Health (NIH) National Program for Cholesterol Education.