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Listening at home⏱️ Estimated reading time: 11 min
On this page: Overview
Key Takeaways
An audiologist asks about your hearing and noise history, looks into each ear with an otoscope, then plays tones from 250 Hz to 8 kHz through headphones in a quiet booth while you press a button for each one you hear. The tones take around 20 to 30 minutes, and the NHS says the whole appointment runs from 15 minutes to an hour.
Yes, on the NHS through a GP referral, and some areas let you refer yourself. High-street hearing checks for adults are usually free without a referral, while a stand-alone private assessment typically costs from around £60 to £150 (published UK clinic prices, October 2026).
An audiogram plots the quietest sound you can hear at each pitch, measured in dB HL. The British Society of Audiology grades an average of 21 to 40 dB HL as mild, 41 to 70 as moderate, 71 to 95 as severe and above 95 as profound.
It is a dip in the audiogram somewhere between 3 and 6 kHz, classically at 4 kHz, that audiologists look for after noise exposure. A 2021 review of 84 studies found the link is not straightforward, so it is a clue for the audiologist rather than a verdict.
It is worth considering if you go to gigs, use power tools or fly often. One audiogram now gives you and an audiologist something to compare against if your hearing seems different years from now.
Yes. A standard test stops at 8 kHz, and research has found differences above that range in people with ringing and normal audiograms, so ringing that continues is worth raising with a GP. The Tinnitus UK helpline is free on 0800 018 0527.
What happens at a hearing test is simpler than most people expect. There are a few questions and a quick look in your ears, then a run of beeps in a quiet room. Many people go in worried about “failing”, but you cannot fail. The test only records what your ears pick up that day.
We are Bollsen, a hearing protection brand, not a clinic, so this guide sticks to what the NHS, the British Society of Audiology and published research say. Some readers arrive here while looking up ringing in your ears after loud noise; others want a reference point before years of gigs and DIY.
What happens at a hearing test, step by step?
A standard adult hearing test is built around pure-tone audiometry: an audiologist plays tones at set pitches from 250 Hz to 8 kHz and finds the quietest level you can hear at each one. The steps around it look like this.
- Questions. The audiologist asks about changes you have noticed, past ear infections, any ringing and how much loud noise is in your week.
- Ear check. They look into each ear with an otoscope (often a small camera). A heavy build-up of earwax can mean the test is moved to another day.
- The beeps. You sit in a sound-treated booth wearing headphones and press a button, or raise a hand, each time you hear a tone.
- Bone conduction. A small vibrating pad on a headband rests behind the ear and sends tones through the bone, which shows the audiologist where in the ear any change sits.
- Extra checks. Some appointments add tympanometry (a soft probe that tests how the eardrum moves) or a speech-in-noise test.
- Results. Your thresholds are plotted on an audiogram and talked through before you leave.
Under the British Society of Audiology procedure for pure-tone audiometry (2018), testing usually starts at 1 kHz: the tone drops in 10 dB steps until you stop hearing it, then rises in 5 dB steps until you do. Your threshold is the quietest level you catch on at least half of those rising tries, in a booth that should generally stay below 35 dB(A).
People who have sat the test often say faint beeps blur with the ear’s own background hum in a silent booth. Anyone who notices ringing should mention it at the start, because the audiologist can switch to pulsed or warbling tones that are easier to pick out.
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According to the NHS guide to hearing tests, you can get a free hearing test on the NHS when your GP refers you to an audiologist, and many high-street opticians and pharmacies test adults over 18 for free. Which? (January 2026) adds that some areas let you refer yourself, and that you can ask for a copy of your audiogram.
| Route | Typical cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| NHS audiology via GP referral (self-referral in some areas) | Free | Full assessment by an NHS audiologist: pure-tone audiometry, often bone conduction and tympanometry, results explained on the day, hearing aids if needed |
| High-street opticians, pharmacies and hearing-care chains | Usually free for adults 18+, no referral | Pure-tone test in a booth with same-day results; you pay only if you choose to buy hearing aids |
| Private audiologist | Many test for free; a stand-alone full assessment typically costs around £60 to £150, longer specialist appointments more | A longer appointment that can add ear-camera checks, tympanometry and speech tests, with a written report |
| RNID online hearing check | Free, about 3 minutes | A speech-in-noise screen that suggests whether a full test is worth booking; no audiogram |
Private prices come from published UK clinic price lists checked in October 2026 and vary by area. The RNID online hearing check is a quick first step for adults, though it plays constant white noise, and RNID advises skipping it if that would be uncomfortable.
Tests arranged by an employer for noisy jobs follow their own rules, set out in our guide to workplace hearing tests. Children are tested differently, and our guide to signs of hearing damage in children covers when to ask about one.
Outside the UK the test is the same, but the route differs. In the US, Medicare Part B covers a hearing exam ordered by a provider, with 20% coinsurance after the deductible. In Canada, cover depends on the province, and in Australia, Hearing Australia offers free 15-minute hearing checks for adults.
How do you read an audiogram?
An audiogram is a chart with pitch running left to right, from low (250 Hz) to high (8 kHz), and loudness running top to bottom in dB HL, so a mark near the top means you heard a very quiet tone. Right-ear results are usually marked with red circles and left-ear results with blue crosses.
The British Society of Audiology grades the average as follows: up to 20 dB HL is within normal limits, 21 to 40 dB HL is mild, 41 to 70 moderate, 71 to 95 severe and above 95 profound. Our explainer on what hearing loss is sets out those grades in everyday terms.
The pattern audiologists look for after years of noise is a notch: a dip between 3 and 6 kHz, classically at 4 kHz, with better hearing either side. A 2021 review in Ear and Hearing (Meghji and Phillips, 84 studies, 1,438,987 people) found notching at 4 kHz in 63 studies and at 6 kHz in 47, and concluded the link with noise “is not straight-forward”. Read a dip as a clue, not a verdict, and leave the reading to the audiologist.
Our separate guide on can your ears heal after loud noise explains what changes after one loud night and what does not.
Why is a baseline hearing test worth having?
A baseline hearing test is your first audiogram taken while your hearing seems fine, so any later test has something to be compared against. Without one, a result in ten years shows where your hearing is, not how far it has moved.
It suits gig-goers, drummers, weekend DIYers with power tools and frequent flyers who spend hours in cabin noise. Our guide on whether concerts can cause tinnitus sets out the sound levels at live music.
The WHO deafness and hearing loss fact sheet (3 March 2026) says over 1 billion young adults are at risk of permanent, avoidable hearing loss from unsafe listening. A baseline does not change that risk, but it turns a vague worry into a number you can track.
How should you prepare for a hearing test?
Keep the two days before quiet. The NIDCD guide to noise-induced hearing loss (updated April 2025) notes that loud noise can cause a temporary hearing loss that disappears 16 to 48 hours later, so a gig the night before can make a baseline look worse than it really is.
It also helps to bring a note of the noise in your life and any medicines you take. If earwax tends to build up, ask a pharmacist for advice beforehand, since a blocked ear can stop the test going ahead.
What if a hearing test is normal but the ringing carries on?
A normal result means your thresholds sit within normal limits between 250 Hz and 8 kHz; the standard test goes no higher. It does not mean ringing that carries on has no cause, and that is a conversation for a GP.
A 2011 study in the Journal of Neuroscience (Schaette and McAlpine, UCL Ear Institute) found weaker auditory nerve responses in people with ringing and normal audiograms, and a 2022 meta-analysis in Ear and Hearing (Jafari and colleagues, 9 studies) found higher thresholds at 10 to 18 kHz, beyond the standard chart.
Our guide on when to see a GP about ringing in your ears lists the signs the NHS asks people to act on. For a free, confidential conversation, the Tinnitus UK helpline is on 0800 018 0527, Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm.
How can you keep noise exposure down from here?
The NIDCD notes that long or repeated exposure to sound at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss, so the practical step is lowering the noise dose. Standing further from speakers and taking quiet breaks both help, and hearing protection covers loud jobs and nights out. Our guide on how much hearing protection do I need matches SNR ratings to common noise levels.
Earplugs limit the noise reaching your ears; they do nothing for ringing that is already there. Our hub on earplugs for tinnitus collects every guide on protection and ringing ears.
For loud days and nights, our Life+ earplugs (SNR 24 dB, £29.95) are passive, two-lamella plugs in hypoallergenic silicone, reusable for up to 100 uses. Attenuation rises with frequency (H 24 dB, M 21 dB, L 19 dB), a two-pack costs £44.95, and every order comes with a 40-day money-back guarantee.
His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
At BOLLSEN, he develops data-driven marketing campaigns, writes SEO-focused articles, and manages communication channels that connect customers with practical knowledge about hearing protection. His work ensures that BOLLSEN’s message—prioritizing health, performance, and sustainability reaches a global audience in an engaging and trustworthy way.
Passionate about writing since childhood, Timotej combines creativity with a strong analytical approach, continuously testing new ideas in digital marketing, performance advertising, and social media. He believes in learning through innovation and collaboration, balancing leadership with openness to new perspectives.
Beyond his professional role, Timotej is committed to a healthy lifestyle and finds inspiration in fitness, sports, and quality time with friends. His personal passion for well-being aligns with BOLLSEN’s core values, making his work not only a career but also a cause he deeply believes in.