What to Expect at a Hearing Screening Test
A hearing screening is a short test to check the hearing of a person to see if it is within the normal range. This is different from a full hearing test or assessment and is just a screening test.
A Few Questions First
Before the actual listening tests are carried out the audiologist will normally ask for some details about your medical history and any current medication. They may also ask if you have any particular problems with your hearing and if so, in what situations you find them a problem. For example, do you have difficulty hearing people speak in noisy situations? This information only takes a few minutes to collect and is used by the audiologist to interpret the results of your hearing test.
The Tone Check
For the tone check, you will sit in a quiet test room, wear headphones and press a button for each tone that you hear. The test tones are different frequencies and are presented at a range of volumes. The audiologist will plot a graph of the results of your test, showing the volume at which you can hear each frequency. This is the main part of the hearing screening test and takes about 10-15 minutes.
The Speech Check
In addition to testing the ability to detect tones, hearing screenings can also test how well a person can understand speech. These are often referred to as speech audiometry tests. The test could involve repeating numbers or words of increasing length after they have been played to you through headphones at low volumes.
How Results Are Graded
Results are usually reported as within normal limits or outside normal limits for the tested frequencies. A pass does not mean you have perfect hearing, it simply means that your hearing is within the expected range for people of your age.
What Happens Next
If your screening results are clear then you won’t need to do any more hearing tests for now. However, if the results are borderline or poor then you may be referred for a full diagnostic hearing test. To find your local hearing test clinic search online for a ‘Hearing Test Near Me’ and book your appointment from there.
A hearing screening test takes around half an hour to complete and leaves you to know the results of your test straight away.
