A method for screening presence or absence of a variation in a region of a nucleic acid which comprises the steps of (a) preparing a sample containing a test nucleic acid corresponding to the region, (b) preparing a probe having a base sequence fully complementary to a normal sequence of the region, and a plurality of probes each having at least one base not complementary to the normal sequence, (c) fixing the probes in separate regions on a surface of a substrate to prepare a DNA array substrate, (d) reacting the test nucleic acid with the probes on the DNA array substrate, (e) measuring signals in each region where the signals are originated from respective hybrids formed between the test nucleic acid and one of the probes, and (f) determining variation in the test nucleic acid using a pattern of total signals of all regions.