Getting a hearing test is straightforward: you can book one through your primary care doctor, go directly to an audiologist, or walk into a retail hearing center like Costco. Most adults don’t need a referral, though your insurance plan may require one for coverage. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and is completely painless.
Where to Get a Hearing Test
You have several options, and the right one depends on whether you’re looking for a quick screening or a full diagnostic evaluation.
An audiologist is the most common choice for a comprehensive hearing evaluation. Audiologists hold advanced degrees and specialize in evaluating, diagnosing, and managing hearing and balance issues. They perform detailed testing that maps out exactly what you can and can’t hear across different pitches and volumes. You can find audiologists in private practices, hospital clinics, and university hearing centers.
An ENT doctor (ear, nose, and throat specialist) is a physician and surgeon who diagnoses and treats ear diseases using medical and surgical approaches. If your hearing loss might be caused by an infection, structural problem, or condition that needs medical treatment, an ENT is the right starting point. In many cases, the ENT’s office has an audiologist on staff who performs the hearing test as part of your visit.
Retail hearing centers at places like Costco offer free hearing tests for members 18 and older. These screenings are designed to determine whether you could benefit from hearing aids. You can schedule an appointment by contacting the hearing center directly. These tests are useful as a first step, but they’re focused on hearing aid candidacy rather than diagnosing a medical cause of hearing loss.
Your primary care doctor can also do a basic hearing screening during a regular visit. If the results suggest a problem, they’ll refer you to an audiologist or ENT for more detailed testing.
Do You Need a Referral?
That depends on your insurance. Nearly all private insurers cover diagnostic hearing tests when a physician orders them to establish a diagnosis. Some plans, particularly HMOs, require a referral from your primary care doctor before they’ll pay for an audiologist visit. PPO plans typically let you see an audiologist directly without a referral.
Medicare Part B covers diagnostic hearing and balance exams when your doctor orders them to determine if you need medical treatment. After meeting the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. Medicare also allows one visit to an audiologist every 12 months without a doctor’s order, but only for non-acute hearing conditions like gradual age-related hearing loss. Original Medicare does not cover hearing aids or exams specifically for fitting hearing aids.
If you’re unsure about your plan’s requirements, call the member services number on your insurance card before booking. This saves you from an unexpected bill.
What Happens During the Test
A comprehensive hearing evaluation takes about 30 minutes. You’ll sit in a soundproof booth or quiet room, and the audiologist will walk you through several parts of the exam.
The first part is pure-tone testing. You wear earphones and listen for tones played at different pitches and volumes, one ear at a time. Each time you hear a sound, you press a button or raise your hand. The audiologist is looking for the quietest sound you can detect at each pitch, from low rumbles to high-pitched tones. They test frequencies ranging from 250 to 8,000 cycles per second. The results are plotted on a graph called an audiogram, which becomes a visual map of your hearing.
The audiologist may also place a small vibrating device on the bone behind your ear. This bone conduction test checks whether sound travels normally through your inner ear, which helps distinguish between different types of hearing loss.
Next comes speech testing. Words are played through your earphones at different volumes, and you repeat what you hear. This measures the quietest level at which you can understand speech and how clearly you can distinguish similar-sounding words. It’s one of the most practical parts of the test because it reflects how hearing loss affects real conversations.
Finally, the audiologist may check how well your eardrum moves by placing a soft probe in your ear canal. This test, called tympanometry, measures eardrum movement as air pressure changes slightly inside the ear canal. It helps identify fluid behind the eardrum, eardrum perforations, or problems with the tiny bones in your middle ear. You don’t need to do anything during this part; it only takes a few seconds per ear.
Online Hearing Tests: Are They Accurate?
Free online hearing screenings can be a reasonable first step if you’re curious about your hearing but not ready to book an appointment. One study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research found that an internet-based hearing test had 75% sensitivity and 96% specificity compared to a clinical audiogram. That means it correctly identified hearing loss about three-quarters of the time and rarely flagged someone who actually had normal hearing.
The tradeoff is that one in four people with real hearing loss may get a passing result from an online test. These screenings also can’t distinguish between types of hearing loss or identify medical conditions that need treatment. They’re best used as a nudge toward professional testing, not a substitute for it.
How Often to Get Tested
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recommends adults get a hearing screening at least every 10 years through age 50, then every 3 years after that. If you work around loud noise, take medications that can affect hearing (some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs fall into this category), or notice any change in your hearing, get tested sooner regardless of your age.
Signs worth acting on include turning the TV louder than others prefer, frequently asking people to repeat themselves, difficulty following conversations in noisy restaurants, or ringing in your ears. Any sudden hearing loss in one or both ears is a medical urgency that warrants same-day or next-day evaluation.
How to Book an Appointment
If you want to go through your doctor, call your primary care office and mention you’d like a hearing evaluation. They can either screen you in-office or write a referral to an audiologist. If your insurance doesn’t require a referral, you can search for audiologists near you through the American Academy of Audiology’s directory at audiology.org or ASHA’s directory at asha.org.
For a retail option, Costco members can call their local warehouse’s hearing center to schedule a free test. You’ll be asked to fill out a patient intake form ahead of time or arrive early to complete it on-site. Sam’s Club and some Walmart locations offer similar services.
When you call to book, ask whether the office does a full diagnostic evaluation or just a screening. A screening tells you pass or fail. A diagnostic evaluation gives you the detailed audiogram and speech testing results that are needed to guide treatment decisions.