Audiometry examination: what to expect

The assessment may include listening through headphones, responding when tones are heard, and repeating spoken words. Some appointments also check how sound travels through the middle ear. The test does not diagnose every cause by itself; your symptoms, ear examination, and test pattern are interpreted together.

Air-conduction testing measures sound travelling through the outer, middle, and inner ear. Bone-conduction testing sends vibration through the skull and helps separate a sound-conduction problem from an inner-ear or hearing-nerve problem. Speech testing adds information about how clearly words are understood.

Differences between the ears, the frequencies affected, and speech clarity all matter. Earwax, middle-ear fluid, noise exposure, medicines, ageing, and inner-ear disorders can produce different patterns, so a clinician relates the chart to your history rather than reading one mark in isolation.

Tell the examiner about ear pain, discharge, tinnitus, dizziness, recent loud-noise exposure, previous ear surgery, hearing aids, and medicines that may affect hearing. Avoid deliberately exposing yourself to loud sound before the appointment. Bring earlier hearing results when available so changes can be compared.

During tone testing, respond even when a sound is very faint; guessing is acceptable when you are unsure. Ask for instructions to be repeated if needed. The examiner may look in the ear first because wax or inflammation can change what the test records.

Seek urgent medical assessment for hearing that drops suddenly, especially in one ear, even if the ear feels blocked. New hearing loss with facial weakness, severe dizziness, trouble speaking, a severe headache, or weakness on one side also needs emergency assessment. Ear discharge with marked pain or fever should be evaluated promptly.

Ask whether the pattern suggests a problem conducting sound or sensing sound, whether one ear differs meaningfully from the other, and whether an ear examination or another hearing test is needed. You can also ask how the result affects communication strategies, hearing protection, monitoring, or referral to an audiologist or ear specialist.