Self-Assessment Hearing

Please make note of the answer that best describe the frequency with which you experience each situation or feeling below. You will be asked to tally up the score at the end of the quiz.

Answer the questions with one of the following: Almost Always, Half of the Time, Occasionally, Never.

1. I have a problem hearing on the telephone
2. I have trouble following conversation involving two or more people
3. People complain that my TV volume is too high
4. I have to strain to understand conversations
5. I miss hearing some common sounds like phones ringing or the doorbell
6. I have trouble hearing conversations in a noisy place, like at a party or a restaurant.
7. I have a hard time determining where sounds come from
8. I misunderstand some words in a sentence and need to ask people to repeat themselves
9. I have trouble understanding the speech of women and children
10. I have worked in noisy environments (factory, construction, jet engines, etc.)
11. I hear fine – people just don’t speak clearly
12. People get annoyed because I misunderstand what they say
13. I make inappropriate responses to things people say because I misunderstand them
14. I avoid social activities because I can not hear well
15. To be answered by a family member or a friend: Do you think this person has a hearing loss?

To score your test, give yourself 3 points for every “Almost Always,” 2 for every “Half of the Time,” 1 for every “Occasionally,” and 0 for every “Never.” If you have a blood relative with hearing loss, add 3 points to your score.

0-5 points: Your hearing is fine. No action required. However, feel free to call for a free "baseline" test to substantiate it.

6-9 points: Suggests at least a mild hearing problem – you should seek audiologic care.

10+ points: Suggests a significant hearing problem – strongly recommend you seek audiologic care.

Please note that it is very possible to have a hearing loss in the lower frequencies and still hear the high frequencies. This video represents what generally happens to us as we age (presbycusis hearing loss), happens to almost everyone to some degree, although it tends to be more severe among men.

Speech is between 125 Hz and 8,000 Hz. Call today for your free baseline or extensive no-obligation hearing test.

The time/intensity limits comprising the OSHA PELs and NIOSH RELs are in part based on each organization’s definition of material hearing impairment and the excess risk of developing that impairment.

OSHA defines material hearing impairment as average hearing thresholds exceeding 25 dB HL at 1k, 2k and 3k Hz, bilaterally. NIOSH uses the same definition, except that thresholds at 4 kHz (where the effects of noise are usually seen first and/or worst) are included. The inclusion of 4k Hz is an improvement over the OSHA definition; however, the averaging of thresholds across frequencies and ears means that significant hearing loss can occur before either formula labels it as hearing impairment. A audiogram that reveals a mild to moderate high‑frequency hearing loss does not meet the definition of material hearing impairment under either the OSHA or NIOSH standards. Both OSHA and NIOSH definitions include 1k and 2k Hz, where NIHL is not likely to be seen. This has the effect of “watering down” the average loss across frequencies. In the presence of normal low‑to‑mid frequency hearing, there must be moderate to moderately‑severe high frequency hearing loss in both ears to produce a 3‑frequency or 4‑frequency average exceeding 25 dB. Significant hearing loss can occur before it is labeled as such by these definitions.