TL; DR:
This blog is designed for people experiencing hearing difficulties, tinnitus, muffled hearing, speech comprehension problems, older adults, parents concerned about hearing issues in children, and anyone seeking information about hearing tests and hearing loss diagnosis.
- Explains Audiometry in Simple Terms: The blog clearly explains what an audiometry test is, how it measures hearing ability across different frequencies and volumes, and why it is an essential tool for diagnosing hearing loss and planning treatment.
- Highlights Symptoms and Causes of Hearing Loss: Readers learn about common causes of hearing loss, including aging, noise exposure, infections, earwax buildup, medications, and genetics, as well as early warning signs that indicate the need for testing.
- Covers Test Types, Procedure, and Results: The article describes various audiometry tests, including Pure Tone Audiometry, Speech Audiometry, Tympanometry, and OAE testing, and explains what happens during each test and how audiogram results are interpreted.
- Provides Practical Guidance on Cost and Treatment: The blog discusses audiometry test costs in India, when to seek professional help, available treatment options such as hearing aids and medical care, and how Resonnocare supports patients through diagnosis, treatment, and long-term hearing care.
Changes in hearing can be easily overlooked. It might be that conversation may become unclear, volume may turn up on the TV, or sounds may become muffled in the background. If these symptoms are not managed, they may impact communication, confidence, relationships, and quality of life.
One of the best ways to know if someone has hearing loss, how bad the loss is, and what might be causing it is through an audiometry test. A lot of the patients we meet at Resonnocare are unsure about the test and what the results could imply. This guide outlines what an audiometry test is, how it’s conducted, why it’s performed, and the results that will be given, in simple and understandable terms.
What Is an Audiometry Test?
Audiometry is a clinical test of your hearing that will determine your ability to hear sounds at different pitches (frequencies) and intensities (volumes). It can also be helpful in deciding if there is any hearing loss and how severe it is. Audiometry gives a detailed report of a person’s hearing. It is the foundation for all hearing care decisions, such as whether someone needs a hearing aid and/or further medical evaluation.
The test doesn’t involve any needles and is painless, and is usually done in 20 to 40 minutes depending on the type of test.
Know More About
- Audiologist Near Me: How to Choose the Right Hearing Specialist
- Audiometry Test: Procedure, Cost & How to Read the Results
- Mild Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Test Results & Do You Need Hearing Aids?
Which Audiometry Test Do You Need?
You usually do not need to choose the test yourself. The audiologist decides which assessment or combination of assessments is appropriate based on your age, symptoms, ability to respond, ear health, and the clinical question that needs to be answered.
Your situation | Test that may be considered | Main purpose |
Gradual difficulty hearing speech or soft sounds | Pure Tone Audiometry | Measures hearing thresholds across different frequencies |
You hear people speaking but words remain unclear | Speech Audiometry | Assesses speech detection and word understanding |
Blocked ear, pressure, recurrent infection, or suspected middle-ear fluid | Tympanometry | Assesses eardrum and middle-ear function |
Newborn, young child, or someone unable to respond reliably to tones | OAE and/or another objective assessment depending on the need | Provides objective information without requiring a behavioural response |
More than one issue is suspected | Combination of tests | Builds a broader hearing profile rather than relying on one result |
The right question is therefore not simply “Which hearing test is cheapest?” but “Which test answers the hearing problem I am actually experiencing?”
Types of Audiometry and Related Hearing Tests Compared
Different hearing tests answer different questions, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
Test | What it mainly measures | Does the patient respond? | Common use |
Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) | Softest sounds heard across frequencies | Yes | Determining hearing thresholds and hearing-loss pattern |
Speech Audiometry | Detection and understanding of speech | Yes | Understanding how hearing loss affects communication |
Tympanometry | Eardrum movement and middle-ear function | No behavioural response required | Middle-ear fluid, pressure, Eustachian tube or eardrum concerns |
OAE | Measurable cochlear outer-hair-cell responses | No behavioural response required | Newborn screening and selected objective hearing assessment |
A normal result on one test does not necessarily make the other tests unnecessary. For example, tympanometry can show normal middle-ear function while pure-tone audiometry still identifies hearing loss.
Is Speech Audiometry Included in Every Audiometry Test?
Not necessarily. “Audiometry” may refer to a broader hearing assessment, while some appointments may involve only pure-tone testing unless speech assessment or other tests are clinically required.
Before booking, ask:
- Is the quoted appointment for PTA only?
- Is speech audiometry included?
- Will tympanometry be performed if middle-ear symptoms are present?
- Are both ears being tested?
- Will an audiologist explain the results?
- Will I receive a written report?
- Could another test be added after the initial findings?
This helps you compare like-for-like assessments rather than assuming every “hearing test” package includes exactly the same components.
What Causes Hearing Loss?
Hearing loss can happen over time or all at once and tends to differ from person to person based on their age. Here are a few reasons:
- Natural aging (presbycusis)
- Long-term exposure to noise such as from machinery or traffic.
- Infections in the ear or buildup of fluid in the ear
- Earwax blockage
- Certain medications that may have an impact on hearing
- Genetic causes
- Trauma to the ear, such as injury or trauma to the ear.
Some hearing concerns are also linked to underlying ear conditions rather than hearing loss alone. If you are experiencing pain, discharge, or unusual sensations in the ear, it may help to review common ear symptoms and conditions before your appointment, so your audiologist has a clearer starting point.
What Are the Early Signs You May Need an Audiometry Test?
Hearing loss may occur slowly and gradually over a period of time, and you may be unaware of it. Early signs are:
- Repetition of words by others
- Playing the television/phone at a higher volume than usual
- Having difficulty understanding speech in the presence of background noise
- Trouble understanding what is being said when several people talk.
- A sense of people talking in a mumbling way
- Ringing or buzzing noises in the ear (tinnitus)
- Hard time hearing high-pitched sounds like birds or doorbells
If you can identify one or more of these symptoms, an audiometry test can offer the clarity you are looking for, instead of the guesswork.
Symptom-to-Test Selector
Your symptoms can help the audiologist decide which part of the hearing system needs closer assessment.
What you notice | What may need to be assessed |
People sound quiet or distant | Pure-tone hearing thresholds |
You hear speech but cannot understand the words clearly | Speech understanding in addition to hearing thresholds |
You struggle mainly in background noise | Hearing thresholds plus functional speech difficulty |
Ear feels blocked or pressured | Ear examination and middle-ear function in addition to hearing where appropriate |
Repeated ear infections | Middle-ear status and hearing impact |
Tinnitus with hearing difficulty | Complete hearing assessment based on symptoms |
One ear seems much worse than the other | Separate right- and left-ear testing and clinical review of the difference |
Sudden major hearing change | Urgent medical/ENT assessment together with appropriate hearing testing |
This symptom-to-test approach helps prevent unnecessary testing while also reducing the risk of relying on one test when several parts of the hearing system need evaluation.
What Happens During an Audiometry Test?
An audiometry test is a simple and painless hearing test. For most people, it is a comfortable and straightforward procedure. The typical scenario of what happens during the appointment is as follows:
1. Discussion About Your Hearing
The audiologist will ask you about hearing problems you are experiencing, including difficulty hearing, hearing muffled sounds, hearing conversations, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and turning up the volume on the TV. They will also ask questions about your medical history, ear complaints in the past, noise exposure, and medicines that you use.
2. Examination of Your Ears
The audiologist will use a special tool called an otoscope to examine the ears. This helps to rule out ear wax, infection, or any visible ear issues that might be impacting your hearing health.
3. Listening to Different Sounds
You will be in a quiet, soundproof room with headphones or earphones. Various pitch and loudness levels will be used for different tones. You’ll be asked to press a button, raise your hand, or answer when you hear a sound, even if it is soft.
There are no right or wrong answers. Simply respond whenever you hear the sound.
4. Speech Hearing Test (optional)
The audiologist might also play or say words at various volumes. You will be required to repeat words that you hear. This can help you determine if you can understand what people are saying, as well as if you can hear a sound.
5. Explanation of Your Results
The audiologist will then look at your audiogram, a graph that indicates whether your ears hear various sounds with ease. They will describe the findings in non-technical terms and discuss if additional testing, treatment, hearing protection, or hearing support is needed.
There are no needles, radiation, or painful procedures involved in the test. Safe for children, adults, and older people.
General Audiometry Pathway: From Appointment to Next Step
A useful audiometry appointment should move through four broad stages:
Step 1: Identify the Hearing Question
The audiologist reviews when the problem began, whether one or both ears are affected, and whether symptoms such as tinnitus, pressure, pain, dizziness or noise exposure are relevant.
Step 2: Select the Appropriate Tests
PTA may be the main threshold test, while speech audiometry, tympanometry, OAE or another assessment may be added depending on the clinical question.
Step 3: Interpret the Results Together
The audiologist reviews the degree and pattern of hearing, right-versus-left differences, speech understanding and middle-ear findings where applicable.
Step 4: Decide What Happens Next
The next step may be monitoring, medical or ENT referral, hearing protection, hearing-aid evaluation, another diagnostic test, or another form of hearing support.
The purpose of an audiometry hub is therefore not only to explain the test procedure but to connect the correct test to the correct next decision.
What Do Audiometry Test Results Mean?
Audiometry test results are plotted on a graph known as an audiogram. The graph shows the softest sounds that are heard at different pitches or frequencies in each ear.
Based on the results, the following hearing ability can be said:
- Normal hearing
- Mild hearing loss
- Moderate hearing loss
- Moderately severe hearing loss
- Severe hearing loss
- Profound hearing loss
The audiogram also indicates if the hearing loss is in one or both ears and if some pitches are harder to hear than others. These patterns can be useful to the audiologist in determining the type and cause of hearing loss.
It is always important that an experienced audiologist check an audiogram. Two audiograms that look alike can represent two different hearing problems, and can call for different treatment or management plans.
What Should Happen After You Receive Your Audiometry Results?
The result should answer more than whether hearing is “normal” or “abnormal.” Ask the audiologist to connect the test result to the next clinical decision.
You should understand:
- Whether hearing loss is present
- Which ear or ears are affected
- Which frequencies are affected
- The degree of hearing loss
- Whether the pattern appears conductive, sensorineural, mixed, or requires further assessment
- How well speech is understood if speech testing was performed
- Whether an ENT or medical review is needed
- Whether the result should be monitored
- Whether hearing aids or another hearing solution may be appropriate
- When the hearing should be retested
For detailed symbol-by-symbol audiogram interpretation, use the dedicated Pure Tone Audiometry Test: What Your Audiogram Means guide rather than trying to make this general hub duplicate every audiogram-reading detail.
Audiometry Result-to-Decision Table
Result or situation | Possible next step to discuss |
Hearing thresholds within the expected range and no continuing concerns | Routine monitoring as advised |
Mild hearing loss with limited daily impact | Monitoring, hearing protection and communication strategies may be discussed |
Hearing loss affecting communication | Hearing-aid evaluation or another hearing solution may be considered |
Conductive pattern or middle-ear concern | Ear/ENT evaluation and appropriate middle-ear management may be required |
Sensorineural pattern | Discuss cause, functional impact, rehabilitation and hearing-aid suitability where appropriate |
Significant difference between ears | Further audiological or medical review may be required |
Pure-tone result does not explain speech difficulty | Speech audiometry or additional assessment may be appropriate |
Sudden or rapidly worsening hearing | Urgent medical/ENT evaluation rather than routine follow-up |
Existing hearing aid no longer seems effective | Repeat hearing assessment plus device and programming review |
The audiometry result is therefore the start of a decision pathway, not the end of the appointment.
What Is the Cost of an Audiometry Test?
The price of an audiometry test in India depends upon the type of hearing test needed, the clinic location, and if a speech audiometry test, a tympanometry test, or an impedance test is recommended. The price of a pure tone audiometry test can be anywhere from a few hundred rupees to a couple of thousand rupees, and a comprehensive hearing evaluation, which includes several tests, may cost more.
The audiologist at Resonnocare will only suggest the tests necessary to comprehend your hearing condition fully. The team will estimate the cost of the assessment before the assessment and explain what you can expect to spend.
Depending on the scheme eligibility and location of the clinic, patients who are covered by CGHS or ECHS/Army healthcare scheme may receive applicable approved rates, reimbursement or supporting bills. Patients are advised to call the Resonnocare clinic prior to their visit to confirm whether a referral, approval, identity card, or payment documents are necessary. Currently, the healthcare rates in ECHS are in sync with the new rate structure of CGHS.
When selecting a hearing clinic, the accuracy of the test, the experience of the audiologist, and the clarity of explanation for the results are important factors to consider aside from price. Resonnocare also offers home hearing test services for patients who find it hard to get to the office and video consultations for report discussions and appropriate follow-up appointments.
What Factors Affect Audiometry Test Cost?
Audiometry cost can vary because “audiometry test” does not always refer to exactly the same test package.
Factors may include:
- Whether the appointment includes PTA only or a broader hearing evaluation
- Whether speech audiometry is added
- Whether tympanometry or impedance testing is required
- Whether another objective test is needed
- Clinic and city
- Whether both ears require a complete evaluation
- Whether an audiologist consultation and result explanation are included
- Whether a written report is included
- Whether follow-up or report review is separately charged
- Applicable scheme or reimbursement requirements where relevant
How to Compare Audiometry Test Prices Correctly
Do not compare only the headline amount. Ask each provider what is included in the quotation.
Cost item | Question to ask |
PTA | Is pure-tone audiometry included? |
Speech testing | Is speech audiometry included or separately charged? |
Tympanometry | Is middle-ear testing included when clinically required? |
Consultation | Will an audiologist review and explain my results? |
Report | Will I receive a written audiogram/report? |
Additional tests | What happens if the initial findings suggest another test is needed? |
Follow-up | Is a result-review or follow-up appointment included? |
This makes it easier to compare equivalent hearing assessments rather than one clinic’s PTA-only price against another clinic’s broader diagnostic evaluation.
When Should You See an Audiologist or Doctor?
Some problems with hearing in noisy places are to be expected at times, but if you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek urgent medical help:
- Acute loss of hearing in one or both ears.
- Ringing or buzzing (Tinnitus) that does not stop.
- Ear pain, ear discharge or feeling of fullness in the ear.
- Dizziness, balance problems or changes in hearing.
- Chronic hearing loss (lasting for more than a few weeks).
Supportive evaluation may be helpful, and it would be inappropriate to make self-diagnosis or dismiss these symptoms, as this can have adverse consequences.
What Treatment or Management Options Are Available?
The degree and type of hearing loss diagnosed after the audiometry test will determine the management. Options may include:
- Treatment for infections or ear discharge-related issues.
- Cleaning of earwax for earwax-related hearing loss.
- Sensorineural hearing loss: hearing aids.
- Assistive listening for particular listening contexts.
- Continuous monitoring of age-related hearing changes/mild hearing loss.
If hearing aids are recommended, Resonnocare’s free hearing aid trial allows you to experience the difference firsthand before making a decision, which many patients find reassuring.
Audiometry vs Tympanometry: What Is the Difference?
Pure-tone audiometry and tympanometry are often performed during the same broader hearing evaluation, but they measure different things.
Feature | Audiometry / PTA | Tympanometry |
Measures | Hearing thresholds | Middle-ear and eardrum function |
Patient response | Patient responds to tones | No behavioural response required |
Can show degree of hearing loss? | Yes, through hearing thresholds | No, not by itself |
Useful for middle-ear fluid? | May show a conductive effect but does not directly assess middle-ear mechanics | Yes, it helps assess middle-ear function |
Produces | Audiogram | Tympanogram |
If your main concern is a blocked ear, fluid, pressure, or repeated infections, tympanometry may be added to the hearing assessment. If your main concern is how softly you can hear, PTA is the key threshold test.
Where Should You Go for More Detailed Information?
This page should act as the main audiometry hub. More detailed questions can then be answered by supporting pages rather than repeating every topic here.
- For detailed PTA and audiogram interpretation: Pure Tone Audiometry Test: What Your Audiogram Means
- For mild-loss decision making: Mild Hearing Loss: Symptoms, Test Results & Do You Need Hearing Aids?
- For choosing the right hearing specialist: Audiologist Near Me: How to Choose the Right Hearing Specialist
- For middle-ear testing: use the dedicated tympanometry guide when the question is specifically about pressure, fluid, eardrum movement or a tympanogram result.
This hub should answer “Which audiometry test do I need and what happens next?”, while the supporting pages can answer deeper questions about an individual test or result.
Canonical Audiometry Content Structure
To keep the audiometry content journey clear and reduce overlap between similar pages, this URL should function as the main overview for:
- Types of audiometry
- Who needs which hearing test
- General audiometry procedure
- How the result leads to the next step
- Audiometry cost factors
- Comparison with speech audiometry, tympanometry and OAE
- Links to detailed PTA and audiogram interpretation
If the older “Audiometry Test: Procedure, Cost & How to Read the Results” URL is confirmed to be competing with this page for the same search intent, its genuinely unique information should be consolidated into this canonical hub before a 301 redirect is implemented. The detailed audiogram-reading intent should continue to be handled by the dedicated audiogram interpretation page.
Why Choose Resonnocare for Hearing and Audiology Care
The Resonnocare concept is patient-oriented – hearing care. We have plenty of practice doing accurate hearing assessments instead of quick one-size-fits-all assessments. A detailed explanation of the results of each of the audiological assessments and a personalized hearing care plan, based on your lifestyle and hearing requirements, are included.
Beyond testing, Resonnocare supports you through the full hearing care journey, including hearing aid fitting, home visits, video consultations for added convenience, and structured aftercare to ensure your hearing solution continues to work well over time. This continuity of care is what sets a well-rounded audiology practice apart from a one-time test provider.
Find a Resonnocare Clinic Near You
Select your city to find the nearest Resonnocare clinic and book an appointment with our hearing care team.
Bangalore
Ear 360, Jayanagar
Ground Floor, Site No. 499, Municipal No. 499/97, East End Main Road, 9th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore, Karnataka 560041
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Ear 360, Spandana Sarjapura Hospital
239/205/34A, near Trinity Complex, Sompura Gate, Sarjapura Main Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 562125
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, HSR Layout
150/5/72, 7th Cross, 24th Main, HSR Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka 560102
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, Banashankari
272, 7th Cross Road, BSK 1st Stage, 2nd Block, Srinivasan Agra, 80 Feet Road, Bangalore, Karnataka 560050
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, Indiranagar
34, Wind Tunnel Road, Murugeshpalya, Muniyappa Layout, Bangalore, Karnataka 560017
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Delhi
Ear 360, Dr. Hans Anand Lok
46, Anand Lok Road, Anand Lok, Sadiq Nagar, New Delhi, Delhi 110049
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, Dr. Hans Vasant Vihar
28, Basement, Paschimi Nagar, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, Delhi 110057
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Gurgaon
Resonnocare Head Office, M3M Urbana
Office 403, Office Block, 4th Floor, above Retail Blocks R1 and R5, M3M Urbana, Sector 67, Gurgaon, Haryana 122101
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, Dr. Hans Sector 28
Plot No. 1SP, adjoining DLF Phase 1 Metro Station, Sector 28, Gurgaon, Haryana 122002
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Ludhiana
Ear 360, BRS Nagar
963, Block B, BRS Nagar, Ludhiana, Punjab 141012
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Resonnocare, Fawwara Chowk
565-A and 565-B, Upper Ground Floor, Cemetery Road, near Fawwara Chowk, West City, Ludhiana, Punjab 141001
Pune
Ear 360, Vighnaharta Healthcare Center
D-106-107, Choice Arcade, opposite Ruby Hall Hospital, Dhole Patil Road, Pune, Maharashtra 411001
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Ear 360, Khan Parab ENT Hospital
Plot No. 102, Anand Nagar, Talegaon Dabhade, Taluka Maval, Pune, Maharashtra 410507
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Tumkur
Resonnocare, Ashok Nagar
PID No. 3563, 8th Main, 8th Cross, Ashok Nagar, Tumkur, Karnataka 572103
Timings: 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
[Call] [Book an Appointment]
Conclusion
An audiometry test is a quick and effective way to assess an often-overlooked aspect of health: your hearing. Knowing what an audiometry test is, how to get one, what it entails, what it shows, and how much it costs can make it easier to decide whether to have it done and to make sure the test is done sooner rather than later.
If you’ve noticed any changes in your hearing, tinnitus, or you just want to know what’s happening, Resonnocare’s clinical staff can help you. Schedule an audiometry test or appointment with Resonnocare today, and start on your path to better, more confident hearing.
FAQ’s
What does an audiometry test show?
An audiometry test assesses the ability to hear sounds at various frequencies and intensities. It indicates the severity and nature (conductive, sensorineural, or mixed) of a hearing loss. The test is also helpful in assessing how well you can hear words when they are spoken and can be used to identify hearing loss early so that health care professionals can suggest a treatment or hearing aid to you.
What is the audiometry test done for?
An audiometry test is used to determine hearing levels and diagnose hearing-related conditions. It is often prescribed to those who suffer from hearing problems, tinnitus, difficulty understanding speech, or sensitivity to loud noise. The results are useful to audiologists and ENT specialists for identifying the cause of a hearing issue and designing an appropriate treatment or management strategy.
What is a normal audiometry result?
Normal audiology results will have hearing thresholds within the range of 0-25 decibels (dB) at the frequencies tested. With normal hearing, individuals can hear quiet sounds and understand speech easily in quiet settings. Higher levels than this may indicate some degree of hearing loss and should be followed up with additional testing and treatment if necessary.
How to pass an audiometry test?
In an audiometry test, there is no passing or failing; the test measures what you can hear, not whether you passed or failed. When you hear a sound, the best thing to do is to relax, listen carefully, and answer honestly. Correct answers yield reliable results and enable specialists to make the best hearing recommendations.
What should you not do before a hearing test?
To avoid temporary hearing changes before a hearing test, avoid exposure to loud noises for 12-24 hours. Avoid inserting anything into your ears, such as cotton swabs, and notify your health care professional if you have had ear infections, were on medications, or had a recent ear problem. The following precautions will help you to get the most accurate assessment possible.