A typical hearing test for an adult requires approximately 30 minutes.
A standard hearing test consists of three components, a pure tone audiogram, a bone conduction test, and a tympanometric assessment.
During pure tone testing, the clinician will present a pure tone stimulus at different intensities to measure the faintest sound a person can detect. The response is recorded across a number of frequencies. The resulting graph is known as an audiogram. Learn how to interpret an audiogram.
The bone conduction test evaluates how well sound travels through the bones of the skull to reach the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear. This test helps to differentiate between sensorineural hearing loss (due to inner ear or nerve problems) and conductive hearing loss (caused by blockages or issues in the outer or middle ear).
A tympanometric assessment measures the middle ear volume and the mobility of the eardrum. A flat tympanometric result can signify a punctured eardrum or fluid build-up behind the eardrum.