What Happens at a Hearing Test?
- Paul Jackson
- Jul 7
- 7 min read
If you’re getting your hearing tested for the first time, you might be unsure about what you can expect from your audiology appointment. A hearing test is designed to assess your ability to hear different sounds and frequencies. The test typically includes:
Questions about your hearing ability
An inspection of your outer ear (otoscopy)
A middle ear check (tympanometry)
A pure tone assessment
A speech test
After the test, you’ll be provided with a clear explanation of what your hearing test has revealed, including if you have any hearing loss, the type, the extent and the recommended treatment.
Keep reading for a more detailed breakdown of what happens at a hearing test to help you understand what you can expect from your audiology appointment.
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What Happens in a Hearing Test?
A hearing test includes a series of tests to determine your hearing ability and identify any potential hearing loss. Typically, your hearing test will start with a case history so that the audiologist can understand your concerns about your hearing. The audiologist will then visually inspect your outer ear (called an otoscopy) and then perform several more tests, such as a middle ear check (called a tympanometry) and pure tone assessment. The number and type of tests performed will depend on whether you’ve booked a hearing health check or a full hearing test.
What Happens During a Hearing Health Check?
A hearing health check is designed to check the overall health of your ears and determine whether a full hearing test is required. During your hearing health check, your audiologist will:
Take your case history. This includes taking time to understand your ear health and any concerns you have about your hearing.
Perform an otoscopy (a visual inspection of the outer ear) and video otoscopy. You should be able to see the results on the screen.
Perform a tympanometry (a middle ear check). This measures the function of your middle ear.
Perform a hearing screening check. This involves you listening to a series of sounds through headphones and indicating when sounds are heard.
A hearing health check is designed to identify the early signs of hearing loss to allow for more timely intervention and treatment. If any hearing loss is identified, you’ll need a full hearing test to identify the extent, the potential causes and whether the loss is permanent.
What Happens During a Full Hearing Test?
A full hearing test provides you with detailed information about your ear health and hearing ability. During a full hearing test, your audiologist will follow the steps below to fully assess your hearing.
Take Your Case History
The audiologist will take some time to understand your lifestyle and any problems or changes you may have noticed with your hearing. If you’ve booked your hearing test because you’re concerned about your hearing, you should bring this up with your audiologist.
Perform an Otoscopy and Video Otoscopy
The audiologist will then visually inspect your outer ear with a handheld device called an otoscope. This allows the audiologist to examine your ear canal and eardrum and look for abnormalities, like earwax buildup. During the video otoscopy, the device will transmit the images to a patient display screen, providing you with a magnified, real-time view of your outer ear.
Perform a Tympanometry
This is a quick test that assesses the function of your middle ear. It’s designed to identify potential problems with your middle ear, like fluid buildup or infections. During your tympanometry, a soft, small probe will be inserted into your ear canal, which then emits tones and changes the ear pressure in your ear canal. The probe measures how your eardrum moves in response to these changes in pressure. The test is quick and painless, and typically only takes a few minutes for each ear.
Perform a Pure Tone Assessment
A pure tone assessment measures your hearing sensitivity across different frequencies and involves listening to a series of sounds (pure tones) played through headphones. The tones vary in frequency from high to low, and you’ll need to indicate, through pressing a button or raising your hand, when you can hear them. Your audiologist will record the softest level at which you can hear the tone at each frequency, which is called the hearing threshold. These are then plotted onto an audiogram, which visually represents your hearing ability. This audiogram can help identify the type of hearing loss you have and its severity.
If you’d like more information about the different levels and types of hearing loss and how to read an audiogram, check out our blog, ‘What Level of Hearing Loss Requires a Hearing Aid?’.
Perform a Speech Test
If speech testing is included in your hearing test, your audiologist will also perform a speech test. This is designed to assess how well someone can hear and understand speech in different situations. The test typically involves recorded words or sentences being played through headphones at different volumes. You’ll be asked to repeat the words you hear, and the audiologist records your responses.
At Hearing Excellence Clinic, our Premium Hearing Test and Speech Assessment includes either a speech in quiet test (AB word test) or a speech in noise test (QuickSIN test).
Speech in Quiet Test
This tests your ability to understand speech in a quiet environment without any background noise. It’s often performed as a free-field test (using loudspeakers), rather than with headphones.
Speech in Noise Test
This tests your ability to understand speech when background noise is present. Words or sentences are presented with varying levels of background noise. This noise is typically multi-talker babble to simulate real-world scenarios where multiple people are talking at once.
Provide You With a Full Report and Clear Recommendations
After your hearing test is over, you’ll be provided with an explanation of what the test has found, including if any hearing loss has been identified, the type and the severity. This advice will be explained to you verbally at the end of your appointment and sent to you in a more comprehensive written report at a later date.
How Long Does a Hearing Test Take?
A hearing test typically takes between 15 minutes and 1 hour, depending on whether you’re having a quick health check or a comprehensive full hearing test.
What Happens After Your Hearing Test?
After your hearing test, your audiologist will discuss the results of your test with you. They will explain what the audiogram shows and explain the severity and type of your hearing loss (if you have any).
What Happens If You Don’t Have Any Hearing Loss?
If your hearing health check or hearing test doesn’t indicate any hearing loss, there is generally no need for any treatment. You should continue to have your hearing tested regularly to identify any future hearing loss:
If you’re under 50, a hearing test every 3-5 years is recommended.
If you’re over 50, a hearing test once a year is recommended, as the chance of experiencing hearing loss is considerably higher.
It’s possible that if your audiogram is normal, you may still experience problems with your hearing. This is known as ‘hidden hearing loss’ and can occur when your brain has difficulty processing sound information. A speech-in-noise (SIN) test can help identify hidden hearing loss, which can be included in our Premium Hearing Test and Speech Assessment at Hearing Excellence Clinic.
What Happens If You Have Hearing Loss?
If your hearing test indicates that you have hearing loss, your audiologist will discuss the results with you, clearly explaining what your audiogram means and the type of hearing loss you have (sensorineural, conductive or mixed hearing loss). They will explain the effect that this hearing loss will have on your day-to-day life and the recommended treatment, for example, the most suitable type of hearing aid. Your audiologist can also provide you with guidance on living with your hearing loss and practical advice to help you hear and communicate better.
If the cause of your hearing loss has been identified as earwax buildup, your audiologist will recommend earwax removal as the best treatment to improve your hearing.
If additional testing is required or your audiologist suspects an underlying medical condition might be causing your hearing loss, they might refer you to another medical professional, such as an ENT specialist.
What Should You Not Do Before a Hearing Test?
If you have a hearing test booked in the near future, there are a few steps you should follow to help you get the most accurate result:
Try to avoid loud noises in the 24 hours before your test, as these can temporarily affect your hearing, leading to an inaccurate hearing test result.
Don’t ignore any changes in your hearing. Instead, take a note of these and communicate them to your audiologist during your appointment.
Reschedule your appointment if you’re unwell. Some illnesses can cause temporary issues with your hearing and could make your test results inaccurate
For more detailed information on how to prepare for your hearing test, read our blog ‘What Should You Not Do Before a Hearing Test?’.
Private Hearing Tests in Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster
At the Hearing Excellence Clinic, we offer private hearing health checks and tests in our clinics in Sheffield, Barnsley and Doncaster. The Lead Audiologist and Clinic Director, Paul, has over 23 years of qualified experience in the private audiology sector and has worked with some of the biggest names in the UK.
Visit our Hearing Test page for more information or book your appointment online today. Alternatively, feel free to get in touch with our team if you need some advice about whether you need a hearing check or a full hearing test, or if you’d like to know more about what you can expect from our hearing test.
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