My husband & son have cold cough sore throat and went to drs both had negative rapid strep tests but dr sayit looks like strep.could it still be strep?

Yes: Rapid strep tests are about 80-90% sensitive, which means that it will be falsely negative 10-20% of the time. A positive test is fairly reliable, but when the test is negative a healthcare provider should use their clinical judgment in making the diagnosis.

Strep: Rapid strep tests are good tests, but can sometimes miss a positive infection. For this reason, it is recommended to send a throat culture to a laboratory after a negative rapid strep test if the suspicion for strep throat infection is high. This may have been done along with the rapid strep. Some docs will put 2 swabs in the mouth at the same time. One for rapid strep and one for culture.