How do you test for hearing loss?

It’s a common belief that people with a hearing loss just can’t hear sounds loudly enough, but it’s more complicated than that. The four main problems caused by hearing loss are:

  • Soft sounds can’t be heard.
  • Key parts of particular speech sounds may not be heard.
  • Sounds are difficult to separate, so voices become jumbled with background noise.
  • A reduced range of hearing may make loud sounds intolerable.

What are hearing checks?

Hearing tests simply measure what sounds you can and can’t hear. Your results are marked on a graph called an audiogram which shows how loud sounds need to be before you can hear them—known as your hearing thresholds. This information also lets us know the degree and type of hearing loss you may have. Hearing loss is measured in decibels (dB), which measure intensity, and pitch in hertz (Hz), which measures frequency. Hearing loss is usually described as mild, moderate, severe or profound.

A full hearing assessment with an audiologist is recommended if a hearing check indicates there may be a hearing loss present.

How is hearing tested?

There are a variety of tests that can be used to find out about your hearing. Hearing is tested differently in children and adults.

The simplest way to test hearing is called pure tone audiometry. This involves listening to a range of beeps and whistles, called pure tones, and indicating when you can hear them. The softest sounds you can hear are marked on your audiogram.

Air conduction is when hearing is measured by pure tones played through headphones. The sounds go via the air, down the ear canal, through the middle ear and to the very delicate cochlea in the inner ear.


The results of both air conduction and bone conduction hearing tests are marked on an audiogram which can tell us whether the loss is sensorineural or conductive.



Speech discrimination tests


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