Getting a hearing test is straightforward: you can schedule one through an audiologist’s office, your primary care doctor, a retail hearing center, or even start with a free online screening from home. The path you choose depends on whether you need a quick check or a full diagnostic workup, and whether you have insurance coverage or prefer a no-cost option.
Where to Get a Professional Hearing Test
An audiologist is the most direct route to a comprehensive hearing evaluation. Audiologists are licensed professionals with advanced degrees who specialize in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing hearing and balance issues. They perform detailed testing to map out exactly what you can and can’t hear across different frequencies, and they can fit hearing aids on the spot if needed. If you’ve noticed a gradual decline in hearing, like constantly asking people to repeat themselves or cranking the TV volume higher than everyone else wants it, an audiologist is the right starting point.
Your primary care doctor can also order a hearing test and refer you to an audiologist or an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor). An ENT is a medical doctor and surgeon who diagnoses and treats ear diseases. You should see an ENT instead of starting with an audiologist if you’re dealing with sudden hearing loss (which is a medical emergency), ear pain, drainage, or recurring ear infections. If an audiologist finds that hearing aids aren’t enough for your situation, they’ll refer you to an ENT to discuss surgical options.
To book an appointment, you can call an audiology clinic directly, ask your primary care doctor for a referral, or search your insurance provider’s directory for in-network audiologists near you.
Free and Low-Cost Options
Retail hearing centers offer another accessible path. Sam’s Club operates more than 450 Hearing Aid Centers across the country, staffed by state-licensed professionals. They use computer-controlled audiometers for screenings and examine the external ear, ear canal, and eardrum. Testing is available for anyone 19 and older, and annual follow-up screenings are free. Costco offers a similar setup. You don’t need a membership at every location, though policies vary, so call ahead.
Many audiology practices also offer free initial screenings as a way to identify whether you need a full evaluation. Community health fairs, veterans’ organizations, and some pharmacies periodically host free screening events as well. These screenings are basic and won’t give you a complete picture, but they can tell you whether further testing is warranted.
Online Hearing Screenings
Several websites and apps let you take a hearing screening from your computer or phone. These tools can be a useful first step if you’re curious about your hearing but not ready to book an appointment. Some validated online tests can detect mild hearing loss with about 83% sensitivity and 94% specificity, meaning they catch most cases and rarely flag people who hear normally.
That said, online tests have real limitations. They depend on uncalibrated equipment (your headphones or speakers), ambient noise in your room, and your own ability to follow the test correctly. They also struggle with less common patterns of hearing loss, particularly asymmetric loss (where one ear is significantly worse than the other) and losses concentrated in specific frequency ranges. An online screening is not a replacement for clinical audiometry. Think of it as a nudge toward professional testing, not a diagnosis.
What Happens During a Hearing Test
A full diagnostic hearing evaluation typically takes 30 to 60 minutes and involves several components. The first is pure tone testing: you sit in a soundproof booth wearing headphones, and the audiologist plays tones at different pitches and volumes. You signal each time you hear a sound, even faintly. The goal is to find the quietest level at which you can detect each tone at least half the time. This is called air conduction testing.
Next comes bone conduction testing. A small vibrating device is placed on the bone behind your ear. It sends sound directly through the skull to the inner ear, bypassing the ear canal and eardrum. Comparing air conduction results with bone conduction results helps pinpoint whether hearing loss originates in the outer/middle ear or the inner ear.
The third component is speech testing. You’ll listen to spoken words at gradually decreasing volumes and repeat them back. The speech reception threshold is the quietest level at which you can correctly repeat words about half the time. This measures how well you hear and understand language in real life, not just tones. Together, these results are plotted on an audiogram, a chart that becomes your hearing “prescription” if you need hearing aids.
Insurance and Medicare Coverage
Most health insurance plans cover diagnostic hearing tests when ordered by a doctor, though copays and deductibles apply. Check your specific plan for in-network audiologists and any prior authorization requirements.
Medicare Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams if your doctor orders them to determine whether you need medical treatment. You can also visit an audiologist once every 12 months without a doctor’s order, but only for non-acute hearing conditions (like gradual age-related hearing loss) or for diagnostic services related to hearing loss treated with surgically implanted devices. Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams for fitting hearing aids, which is an important distinction. If your test is purely to get fitted for hearing aids, expect to pay out of pocket unless you have supplemental coverage.
OTC Hearing Aids Without a Test
Since 2022, adults 18 and older can buy over-the-counter hearing aids without seeing a doctor or audiologist first. The FDA designed this option for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. You can purchase them in stores or online.
OTC hearing aids are not intended for severe or profound hearing loss, and anyone under 18 still needs a prescription. While skipping the professional test is technically allowed, getting a proper evaluation first helps you understand the type and degree of your hearing loss. Some conditions that cause hearing loss are medically treatable, and you wouldn’t want to mask a problem that a doctor could actually fix. A baseline audiogram also makes it much easier to choose the right device and program it effectively.
Hearing Screenings for Children
Newborns are screened before hospital discharge in most U.S. states. The CDC recommends all babies have a hearing screening before 1 month of age, a complete hearing test before 3 months if they don’t pass the initial screen, and intervention services before 6 months if hearing loss is confirmed. This 1-3-6 timeline is critical because early intervention dramatically improves language development.
After infancy, children should be screened at well-child visits through age 5. School-age children are typically screened when they first enter school, annually from kindergarten through third grade, and again in seventh and eleventh grades. Children at risk for progressive or late-onset hearing loss should be screened every six months until age 3, and at regular intervals after that. If your child’s school doesn’t offer routine screening or you have concerns between scheduled checks, your pediatrician can order a hearing evaluation at any time.