Hearing Screening Test
This hearing screening test approximates the quietest sound you can hear at several frequencies by playing a series of tones in each ear. Simply download the test to your portable music player and follow the spoken instructions. The test requires a pencil and paper, numbered from 1 to 20 and takes about 5 minutes.
This is only a screening test, and is not a replacement for a test performed by an audiologist under controlled conditions.
For best results be sure to do the following steps:
Be sure to calibrate your volume. Near the 1 minute (1:00) mark you will hear a very quiet calibration tone. Adjust your volume to where you can just barely hear the tone. You may want to turn up the volume so you clearly hear what you are listening for then reduce it to a level where you can just barely hear it. On many players this is around 50% volume.
Take this test in a quiet room. You should not be able to hear any fans, computers or outside noises during this test. The best location is usually an interior room, away from windows. Even low level sounds may interfere with results.
Turn off your player’s equalizer (EQ). Sometimes the setting is called “flat.”
If you are using an iPod, turn off the “Sound Check” feature in the Settings (found on the main menu screen)
Download the test in
Apple Lossless (m4a) (7 MB) format for Apple iPods - Alternate download mirror (JHU), Subscribe to iTunes feed, Subscribe to Podcast feed
Wav (ZIPped) (15 MB download, 50 MB uncompressed) format for other Portable Music Players - Alternate download mirror (JHU)
FLAC (7 MB) format - Alternate download mirror (JHU)Why no MP3 format? An MP3 uses “lossy” compression, meaning some audio data is lost, including high frequency pitches like those that are used in this test. The above formats use “lossless” compression where no information is lost.
Click here to submit your answers and find your results.
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