Hearing tests in Australia: The complete guide to every test type
In This Article
- What are the main types of hearing tests?
- What is pure tone audiometry — and what is an audiogram?
- Why are speech testing and Speech-in-Noise testing done as well?
- What are tympanometry and the other middle-ear checks?
- What about hearing screening tests, apps and online checks?
- Who performs hearing tests in Australia? Audiologists and audiometrists
- How often should you have a hearing assessment? Baseline and beyond
A hearing test in Australia usually means a comprehensive hearing assessment: a series of checks — otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, speech testing and tympanometry — that together show what you hear, what you miss, and why. This guide explains every common test type, what each one measures, and who performs them. If you want the appointment walkthrough, read what happens during a hearing test; for costs and funding pathways, see are hearing tests free in Australia. This page covers the tests themselves.
What are the main types of hearing tests?
Australian clinics use a consistent core battery. Each test answers a different question:
| Test | What it measures | What it tells us |
|---|---|---|
| Otoscopy | Visual check of the ear canal and eardrum | Wax, infection or physical issues before testing |
| Pure tone audiometry | The softest sounds you hear at each pitch | Your hearing thresholds — the audiogram |
| Speech testing | How clearly you understand words | Whether hearing loss affects real conversation |
| Tympanometry | How your eardrum and middle ear move | Fluid, pressure or middle-ear problems |
| Speech-in-noise testing | Understanding speech against background noise | The restaurant problem — often the first complaint |
Together these separate the two big questions: how much hearing has changed, and where in the ear the change is happening.
What is pure tone audiometry — and what is an audiogram?
The core test. In a sound-treated booth, you wear headphones and press a button each time you hear a tone. The audiometrist tests a range of pitches in each ear, finding the softest level you reliably detect at each frequency. The results form your audiogram — a chart of your hearing thresholds. Testing takes about 20 minutes and nothing about it hurts. Bone conduction testing, done with a small headband vibrator, repeats the process across the same frequencies while bypassing the ear canal and middle ear — the comparison shows whether a loss is conductive (mechanical), sensorineural (inner ear) or mixed. Our guide to types of hearing loss explains what each pattern means.
Why are speech testing and Speech-in-Noise testing done as well?
Because two people with identical audiograms can have very different real-world hearing. Speech testing measures how clearly you recognise words at comfortable volume, and speech-in-noise testing measures the situation people actually struggle with first: following one voice in a noisy room. These results shape practical recommendations far more than the audiogram alone — they help predict how much benefit hearing aids would give, and in which situations.
What are tympanometry and the other middle-ear checks?
Tympanometry gently changes the air pressure in your ear canal while measuring how the eardrum responds. It takes seconds per ear and picks up fluid behind the eardrum, Eustachian tube problems, a perforation, or stiffness in the middle-ear bones — all things that can reduce hearing even when the inner ear is healthy. Acoustic reflex testing, often done at the same time, checks a small protective muscle response that adds further detail about how sound is travelling through the system.
What about hearing screening tests, apps and online checks?
Screenings — the free five-minute checks at pharmacies, workplace tests, phone apps and online hearing tests — are a different category. They give a pass/refer indication, not a diagnosis. They can flag that something may need attention, but they cannot tell you the type, degree or cause of a hearing change, and a pass can miss early high-frequency loss. Used as a first step they are genuinely useful; used as a substitute for assessment they delay answers. Our guide to online hearing tests covers their accuracy in detail.
Who performs hearing tests in Australia? Audiologists and audiometrists
Two university- or diploma-qualified professions: audiologists and audiometrists. Both are qualified to perform comprehensive adult hearing assessments, interpret audiograms and fit hearing aids — the difference between them lies mainly in training pathway and scope for complex/medical cases. At Hearingcare in Caloundra, assessments are performed by Linda Whittaker, a Qualified Audiometrist, in a sound-treated booth with results explained the same day. Children's testing, cochlear implant candidacy and medico-legal assessments sit with specialised audiology and ENT services — we refer when a result points that way.
How often should you have a hearing assessment? Baseline and beyond
As a general guide: a baseline test around 60 (earlier with noise exposure, tinnitus or family history), then a check every couple of years — annually if you wear hearing aids or your results are changing. Book sooner at any age if conversations feel like hard work, the TV volume keeps creeping up, or your ears ring. Eligible pensioners and DVA card holders can access assessments at no cost through the Australian Government Hearing Services Program — eligibility criteria apply, and Hearingcare is an accredited provider.
Ready to move from guessing to knowing? Book a comprehensive hearing assessment at Hearingcare on Bulcock Street, Caloundra, Queensland — serving Golden Beach and the wider Sunshine Coast. No referral needed. Call (07) 5223 4444.
The information on this page is general in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice about your individual hearing health. Hearing outcomes vary from person to person. Eligibility criteria apply to government programs such as the Hearing Services Program.
Take the next step
If anything in this guide reflects your own situation, a comprehensive hearing assessment is the most reliable next step. At Hearing Care on the Sunshine Coast, Linda Whittaker — a Qualified Audiometrist with more than 20 years of clinical experience and ACAud membership — provides unhurried, individualised hearing care in a supportive environment.
We see clients from Caloundra, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba, Buderim, Noosa and across the wider Sunshine Coast region. Eligible clients may access fully subsidised hearing services (eligibility criteria apply) through the Australian Government's Hearing Services Program.
Individual results vary. Professional hearing assessment is required to determine the most appropriate management approach for your specific situation.
This article is for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary. Professional hearing assessment is recommended for personalised advice.
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