DEMONSTRATION COPY
The online hearing test is a screening exam. Specifically, it has been designed to test the ranges of hearing that pick up the conversational tones of the human voice. However, it is designed only to identify if hearing loss exists and DOES NOT measure how much hearing loss you have or exactly what portion of the spectrum that hearing loss is in. Thus, when you take the test, and utilize the features of the volume boosting sliders, you are getting a relative measure of your hearing loss as sensed by both your ears at the same time.
The online hearing test is calibrated using the volume control on your computer speakers and a person who has no known hearing deficit. The "normal" hearing person must follow these instructions for calibrating the test:
1. First setting the speaker volume to their mid point.
2. Play sounds 1-5 in order. The volume of each sound is less than the one before it. To calibrate your speakers, adjust their volume such that you can hear sounds 1 through 4 and sound 5 cannot be heard.
3. When done, sound 1 should be a comfortable volume while sound 4 should be barely audible. Sound 5 SHOULD NOT be heard. Once you feel that your system is calibrated, click on the "test" button to take the exam.
Once you have calibrated your speaker volume, you can test your hearing. Each tone (activated by the buttons labeled Tone 1, 2, and 3) will play at four different volumes. If you cannot hear all four volumes of each tone, use the volume booster dials. Test yourself again using each booster setting, 2-10, until you can hear all four volumes of each tone. Use the lowest booster number as your "calibrated" number. When you get hearing aids, come back and take the test again. If your booster numbers have decreased your hearing has improved. (Learn More About the Booster Dials)
The booster dials are a feature that allows the user to adjust the tone volumes individually. The dials are adjusted using the arrow buttons beneath them. The up button will increase the volume of the associated tone by roughly 10 decibels for each number, up to 100 decibels at a dial setting of 10. Likewise, the down button will lower the volume for its associated tone.
How are the booster dials used?
The booster dials should be used when the test taker cannot hear all four volumes for a given tone. For example, if a user hears only three volume levels for tone 1 when they initially take the Online Hearing Test, they can utilize the booster dial for Tone 1. The user would click on the up arrow button for Tone 1's booster dial raising the dial to 2. Then the user replays Tone 1 to determine if they can now hear all four volume levels. If they cannot they will once again raise the booster dial number and replay tone 1. This is done until all four volume levels for Tone 1 can be heard. This process is repeated for tones 2 and 3.
What do the booster dials mean?
The booster dial settings will let a user know two things about their hearing loss. First, it will give a rough estimate of which tones their having the most trouble hearing. Specifically, the tone that requires the most boosting is the tone the user has the hardest time hearing. Second, the booster dials allow for the user to determine if their hearing has improved when they retake the exam after they get hearing aids. For example, a user may find that their booster settings need not be set as high when they user their hearing aids. Thus, they get a rough sense of their improved hearing by calculating how many decibles less they need the tones boosted for them to hear all four volumes of each tone. (The formula is 10 decibles for each booster number (i.e. booster setting of 3 = 30 decibel increase)).
The result of this test indicate that you may have some degree of hearing loss. However, make sure you have calibrated the test with a normal hearing person, more than once and taken the test more than once. If you still cannot hear all four volumes of the three tones in the test, consult your local audiologist for a formal audiologic evaluation.
The hearing test has been tested extensively on Windows 9X and 2000 and Mac OS 8.5+, with IE 4.0, 5.0+ and Netscape 4.0+. Most problems with the hearing test can be cured by ensuring you have the proper hardware and software installed. Go through the items below to ensure your computer is properly configured for the hearing test.
1. Do you have version 4.0 or greater of Quicktime Installed? (Download it from Apple)
2. Are you using a version 4.0 or greater browser? (Get either Netscape Communicator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 5.0)
3. Does you computer have the following hardware:
-An IBM compatible PC with a 16 bit sound card or a Mac (which comes with 16 bit sound ).
-A monitor capable of displaying Thousands of colors at 800 X 600 pixels or greater.
-A computer that meets the requirements for Quicktime as set forth by Apple Computer