Testing Questions
What happens during an examination?
Before a hearing “test” can be completed, your hearing specialist will use an otoscope to examine the, ear checking for any visual deformities and cerumen in the ear canal.
A series of questions will be asked to help better understand your hearing concerns.
The hearing "test" can now be performed. There are a series of tests that the hearing specialist will perform to make sure of an accurate evaluation.
Pure Tone Threshold determines the softest level at which you can hear the tone/frequency. For this test, you will be asked to indicate each time you hear the tone in the headphones by pressing a button.
Speech Recognition evaluates the accuracy of the pure tone thresholds. You will be asked to repeat several two-syllable word whiles the intensity is decreased in order to find the lowest level at which you are able to hear speech.
Word recognition AKA speech discrimination test - is a set of phonetically balanced words at your most comfortable level. You will be asked to repeat these words back one at a time. The results of this portion of the test are critical to helping you establish a realistic expectation of what a hearing aid can do for you.
QUICKSIN - you will be asked to repeat a sentence with the background noise increasing with each sentence. This determines how well you do in a noisy environment.