The Whispered Speech Test

The person conducting the whispered speech test will ask you to cover the opening of one ear with your finger; they will then stand behind you and will whisper a series of words or a sentence which they will ask you to repeat back to them.

If you are having trouble hearing what they are saying then the words will be said again this time a little louder until you can comfortably hear and are able to repeat back the words. Each of your ears will be tested separately.

The Pure Tone Audiometry Test

For this type of test a machine called an audiometer will be used enabling a series of tones to be played through headphones. These tones will vary in there frequency or hertz and loudness which is measured in decibels.

The person conducting the hearing test will control the volume and will slowly reduce it until the sound can no longer be heard by you. Then the volume will be increased in volume until it is audible again. Every time you hear a sound you will be asked to signal this by pushing a button or raising your arm or hand.

This test will be repeated several time using varying degrees in pitch, each ear is tested individually and then a vibrating device will then be placed on the bone behind the ear and again you will have to give some signal on hearing the tone.

The Tuning Fork Test

The tuning fork is a two pronged metal device that vibrates when struck, the person testing your hearing with this device will strike it and as it vibrates it will produce a tone.

This test is conducted to test how well sound moves through your ear, the tuning fork will be moved to the top of the head and behind the ear and depending on how the sound is heard will tell the physician if the problem you are having is relating to the nerves themselves or the sound actually getting to the nerves.

Speech Reception and Word Recognition Tests

These two tests will be able to measure your ability to understand and hear a normal conversation. Simple words are spoken at varying degrees of loudness which you will be asked to repeat back.

A test called the Spondee threshold test will be given which will help to determine how well you can repeat at least half of the two-syllable words (spondees). This test is conducted to be able to distinguish between two different types of hearing loss, conductive and sensorineural.

Otoacoustic emissions Hearing Test

This type of hearing test is the one most commonly used to test hearing in newborn babies, it is done by inserting a very tiny soft microphone in the baby’s ear canal. Sound is then fed through a flexible probe into the baby’s ear and the microphone detects the inner ears response to the sound.

Auditory Brain stem Evoked Potential Test

During this test electrodes will be placed on your scalp and also on each earlobe, a series of clicking noises will then be sent through head phones and the electrodes monitor the brains response to those sounds and record them on a graph. It is mainly used in the detection of sensorineural hearing loss.