Types of Hearing Tests Explained

There are several types of hearing tests, each designed to assess different aspects of your hearing and ear health. Understanding what each test measures can help you know what to expect at your appointment.

Pure-tone audiometry

The most common hearing test. You wear headphones in a quiet room and press a button when you hear tones at different frequencies and volumes. This maps your hearing thresholds and produces an audiogram — a graph showing the quietest sounds you can hear at each pitch.

Speech audiometry

Measures how well you understand spoken words at different volumes. The audiologist plays recorded words through headphones and you repeat what you hear. This test is particularly useful for assessing how hearing loss affects real-world communication.

Tympanometry

Assesses the middle ear by measuring how the eardrum moves in response to changes in air pressure. It can detect fluid behind the eardrum, eustachian tube dysfunction, perforated eardrums, and problems with the middle ear bones. A small probe is placed in the ear canal — the test takes just a few seconds.

Otoacoustic emissions (OAE)

Measures sounds produced by the outer hair cells in the inner ear in response to sound stimulation. If the inner ear is working normally, it produces tiny sounds (emissions) that can be detected by a sensitive microphone. OAE testing is commonly used in newborn hearing screening.

Auditory brainstem response (ABR)

Measures the electrical activity in the auditory nerve and brainstem in response to sound. Sensors placed on the head detect the brain's response. ABR is used for newborn screening, assessing hearing in patients who cannot respond to standard tests, and diagnosing specific types of hearing loss.

Bone conduction testing

A vibrating device placed behind the ear sends sound directly to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear. Comparing bone conduction results with air conduction results helps determine whether hearing loss is conductive, sensorineural, or mixed.