What is Pure Tone Audiometry?

If you've had a hearing evaluation, you’ve likely experienced pure tone audiometry, a common and reliable tool used to better understand hearing health. But what exactly does this hearing test measure, and what can the results reveal?

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of this hearing test, its purpose, how it works, and what the results can tell you about your hearing health.

The primary purposes behind this test are to:

• Identify your degree and type of hearing loss [2]
• Monitor changes in hearing over time
• Support the diagnosis of ear-related conditions
• Help guide treatment decisions, including hearing aid recommendations

To make sure you get a comprehensive assessment, this test is often performed in conjunction with speech audiometry and tympanometry.

Here’s what to expect during a pure tone audiometry test:

1. Air Conduction Pure Tone Audiometry: You’ll wear headphones and respond to a series of beeping sounds of varying frequencies and loudness levels. The test determines your hearing threshold across the frequency spectrum using both your middle and inner ear.
2. Bone Conduction Testing: To assess your inner ear function, a bone oscillator is used to transmit sound through the bones of the skull, bypassing the middle ear, to test the response of the inner ear.  This bone conduction assessment is used to assess the impact of outer, middle ear, and ear drum function on hearing thresholds.  This difference between air conduction and bone conduction thresholds indicates the type of hearing loss you may be experiencing.

The test takes 5-10 minutes. You’ll sit in a soundproof booth to prevent external noise interference and raise your hand or press a button each time you hear a tone, no matter how quiet the sound is.

Pure tone audiometry is a critical first step in diagnosing hearing loss and guiding effective treatment. Amplifon Hearing Health Care supports your hearing health with an array of programs.

Request an appointment at a nearby clinic to get the hearing support you need and deserve. We have over 8,800+ top-quality Amplifon® providers. Our array of hearing aid brands allows you to find the right fit for your needs, lifestyle, and budget. What’s even better is that our members see an average savings of 68% off the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) on the leading hearing aid brands.

If you’re concerned about your hearing, don’t wait. Schedule a hearing evaluation and take the first step toward clearer sound and better communication.