What is Pure-Tone Testing?

If you’ve just booked a hearing test, you might’ve been told that you’ll be going through a pure-tone test at your appointment. Pure-tone testing is the most common way to determine someone’s level of hearing, but if you’re not sure what this means, we’ll explain it in full below for you.

What is Pure-Tone Testing?

Pure-tone testing is a popular type of hearing test thanks to its general application. Most people have gone through such a test in their life, even if they didn’t know what it was at the time. This is because it’s a good test for all ages and is commonly done during the early school years to determine how well children can hear.

You put on a pair of headphones and are asked to listen out for a sound, usually a beeping noise. The noise could be in either ear, or you simply have to indicate when you hear it. Similarly, the noise may be soft or loud as well as high or low pitched. The result of this test allows an audiologist to test your general level of hearing, depending on what you can hear at every level.

If you’ve not heard the phrase pure-tone testing before, you may have heard it called by another name, such as air or bone conduction.

What a Pure-Tone Test Can Show

In the world of hearing tests, a pure-tone test will give you a clear overview of the way you hear. You’ll be able to see whether you can hear high pitched and low pitched sounds, and at varying decibels (dBs).

On the resulting chart, an audiologist can then see where your hearing level lies, whether it’s inside the normal range or outside of it, and to what degree. Testing on this wide level means hearing aids can be more accurately prescribed to those who would benefit from using them.

Why Pure-Tone Testing Is Beneficial

A pure-tone test will often be recommended by an audiologist simply because it produces a high standard of results. A person can go through the test with little to no issue and the results produced are clear. Not only is the test itself fairly quick to get through, but it also gives out a wide range of data. As such, a detailed observation of these results can show if a person is living with a degree of hearing loss without the need for any further testing.

As far as hearing tests go, it’s also a very affordable option, for both the patient and the audiologist center alike. Not much equipment is involved, the output can be massive and a viable treatment can be assigned very soon after the test is over.

A pure-tone test is suitable for everyone. Even if you’re unable to wear headphones for long periods at a time, the test can be adapted to allow you more comfort. Talk to your audiologist about what else is involved and whether the test would be good for you.