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What happens at a hearing test

Updated

A hearing test is painless and usually takes between 30 minutes and an hour. Knowing what it involves makes it easier to tell whether yours was thorough.

Before the test

Your provider will ask about your hearing and your health: when you first noticed a problem, which situations are hardest, any noise exposure at work or elsewhere, ringing in your ears, dizziness, medications and family history. This conversation shapes the rest of the visit, so a good provider does not rush it.

The ear exam

The provider looks into each ear with a lighted instrument called an otoscope. They are checking the ear canal and eardrum, and looking for earwax or anything else that could affect the results.

Some clinics also run a quick pressure test called tympanometry. A soft tip sits in your ear for a few seconds and measures how your eardrum moves, which shows how well the middle ear is working.

The listening test

You sit in a sound-treated booth or a very quiet room wearing headphones or soft earphones. You hear tones at different pitches and volumes, one ear at a time, and press a button or raise a hand each time you hear one. This finds the quietest sound you can hear at each pitch.

The provider may repeat part of this with a small device that rests on the bone behind your ear. Comparing the two results shows whether a hearing loss comes from the inner ear or from a problem in the outer or middle ear.

The speech tests

Hearing tones is not the same as understanding people, so a full test also uses speech. You repeat words played at different volumes, which shows how quiet speech can be before you lose it and how clearly you understand words when they are loud enough.

Some providers add a speech-in-noise test, where you repeat words or sentences with background noise playing. Trouble hearing in noise is the most common complaint people bring to a hearing clinic, so this test is a good sign of a thorough visit.

Your results

Your results are plotted on a chart called an audiogram. Your provider should go through it with you, explaining what you can and cannot hear in each ear, and what that means in everyday life. If hearing aids or a medical referral would help, they should explain why, and give you your options.

You can ask for a copy of your audiogram. It is your health information.

Signs your test was thorough

  • It took place in a sound-treated booth or a very quiet room.
  • Someone looked in your ears first.
  • It included speech testing, not only tones.
  • Each ear was tested separately.
  • The results were explained in plain words, and your questions were answered.
  • Nobody pushed you to buy anything the same day.

Online and app hearing tests

A hearing check on a website or phone app can tell you whether a full test is worth booking. It cannot replace one. It does not examine your ears, it is not done in a controlled room, and it cannot tell what is causing a hearing loss.

How to prepare

  • Bring someone with you if you can. A familiar voice helps, and so does a second pair of ears for the results.
  • Write down the situations where you struggle most.
  • Bring a list of your medications.
  • Avoid loud noise the day before.

On Hearsay, patients rate the hearing test as its own part of their care, including whether it felt thorough and whether the results were explained clearly. Next, read the questions to ask before you buy hearing aids.

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