What Happens During a Hearing Test in Edmonton

Most people put off a hearing test because they are not sure what to expect. Will it hurt? Will they fail? Will they be pressured into buying something?

The short answers: no, there is no pass or fail, and no one is going to pressure you. A hearing test is a straightforward diagnostic appointment that gives you information about your hearing. What you do with that information is entirely up to you.

Here is what actually happens, step by step.

Before the appointment

No special preparation is needed. You do not need to fast, avoid caffeine, or do anything unusual. Just show up.

If you have extended health insurance, bring your benefits card. Most insurance plans cover hearing tests, and we can bill directly in many cases. If you are covered by AADL, Veterans Affairs, NIHB, or WCB, bring any relevant documentation or authorization numbers.

One helpful thing you can do is think about the specific situations where you notice hearing difficulty. In a restaurant? On the phone? At work? When someone talks from another room? This helps your audiologist understand how your hearing is affecting your daily life, not just what the numbers say.

Step one: case history

Your appointment starts with a conversation. Your audiologist will ask about:

• When you first noticed changes in your hearing
• Whether the change was gradual or sudden
• Any history of ear infections, surgeries, or injuries
• Noise exposure at work or during recreational activities
• Any medications you are currently taking
• Whether anyone in your family has hearing loss
• Whether you experience tinnitus (ringing, buzzing, or humming)
• Any dizziness or balance concerns

This information helps your audiologist interpret your test results in context. Two people with the same audiogram can have very different hearing experiences depending on their history.

Step two: otoscopy

Your audiologist looks inside your ear canals using a handheld instrument called an otoscope. This is the same tool your family doctor uses. It takes about thirty seconds per ear.

They are checking for earwax buildup, signs of infection, eardrum abnormalities, or anything that might affect the test. If there is significant wax blocking the canal, it may need to be removed before testing can proceed.

Step three: tympanometry

A small probe is placed at the opening of your ear canal. It creates a gentle change in air pressure while playing a low tone. This test measures how well your eardrum moves and how the middle ear system is functioning.

It feels like a mild pressure change, similar to what you feel during takeoff in an airplane. It lasts about five seconds per ear. You do not need to do anything during this test.

Tympanometry helps identify conditions like fluid behind the eardrum, a perforated eardrum, or stiffening of the middle ear bones, all of which can contribute to hearing loss.

Step four: pure tone audiometry

This is the main hearing test. You sit in a soundproof booth and wear headphones. Your audiologist plays tones at different pitches (frequencies) and volumes, one ear at a time. Each time you hear a tone, you press a button or raise your hand.

The tones start at a level you can easily hear and gradually get quieter until you can no longer detect them. Your audiologist is finding the softest sound you can hear at each frequency. This is called your hearing threshold.

The test covers low pitches (like a bass drum), mid pitches (like normal speech), and high pitches (like a bird chirping or a smoke alarm). It takes about ten to fifteen minutes.

You may also wear a bone conduction headband that sits behind your ear. This sends vibrations directly to your inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear. Comparing the results from headphones and bone conduction tells your audiologist whether any hearing loss is coming from the outer/middle ear (conductive), the inner ear (sensorineural), or both (mixed).

Step five: speech audiometry

This part tests how well you understand speech, not just whether you can detect sound.

Your audiologist plays recorded words or sentences through the headphones at a comfortable volume. You repeat back what you hear. Some tests use single words. Others use sentences, sometimes with background noise added to simulate real-world conditions.

Speech testing is important because two people with similar audiograms can have very different ability to understand spoken language. This part of the test helps predict how well hearing aids will work and identifies any speech processing issues that go beyond what the pure tone test reveals.

Step six: reviewing results

After testing, your audiologist reviews the results with you immediately. They will show you your audiogram, a graph that plots your hearing thresholds across different frequencies for each ear.

They will explain:

• Whether your hearing is within normal range or shows a loss
• The type of hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural, or mixed)
• The degree (mild, moderate, severe, or profound)
• Which frequencies are affected and what that means in practical terms
• How your speech understanding scores compare to what is expected for your hearing levels

If your hearing is normal, you leave with a baseline and a recommendation for when to retest. If there is a concern, your audiologist will discuss your options. These might include monitoring, hearing aids, medical referral, or hearing protection, depending on what the results show.

There is no pressure to make any decisions on the spot. The purpose of the appointment is to give you clear, accurate information.

How long does it take

A complete hearing assessment typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. If earwax removal is needed first, add another 15 to 20 minutes.

Does it cost anything

Most extended health insurance plans cover hearing tests performed by a registered audiologist. AADL, Veterans Affairs, NIHB, and WCB also cover diagnostic hearing assessments. If you are paying out of pocket, the cost of a comprehensive assessment is typically between 50 and 100 dollars.

Getting tested in Edmonton

At Medicine Place Hearing Care, our registered audiologists perform comprehensive hearing assessments at both of our Edmonton locations. No referral is needed. Walk in or book ahead.

If you have been wondering about your hearing, 45 minutes is all it takes to know exactly where you stand.

Book a hearing test at Medicine Place Hearing Care in Edmonton. No referral needed.