Pure Tone Audiometry

Pure Tone Audiometry: The Gold Standard in Hearing Tests

When you visit an audiologist to check your hearing, one of the most common tests you’ll go through is called Pure Tone Audiometry. It’s a simple, non invasive method to measure how well you hear at different pitches and volumes. Whether you’re experiencing hearing issues or just doing a routine check-up, the PTA test is often the first step toward understanding your hearing health.

Let’s walk through what this test involves, how it works, and what your results can reveal.

What Is Pure Tone Audiometry?

Pure Tone Audiometry (or PTA test for short) is a hearing test that checks the quietest sounds you can hear at different pitches or frequencies. These sounds are known as "pure tones". They are tones without any background noise or speech.

The main goal of the PTA hearing test is to find out whether you have hearing loss, and if you do, how mild or severe it is. It’s a painless test and gives you and your audiologist a clear picture of your hearing sensitivity.

PTA Test Full Form and Basics

The PTA ear test focuses on measuring the hearing threshold, which is the softest sound you can hear at least 50% of the time. The test checks both air conduction (how sound travels through your outer and middle ear) and bone conduction (how sound bypasses your outer ear and goes directly to your inner ear). This helps the audiologist figure out whether your hearing loss is due to a problem in your ear canal or deeper inside the ear.

How Is the Pure Tone Audiometry Test Done?

When you go in for a PTA hearing test, here’s what usually happens:

1. You wear a pair of headphones or sometimes a small headband with a bone vibrator placed behind your ear.
2. You’ll hear beeping sounds, one ear at a time. These vary in pitch (low to high) and volume (soft to loud).
3. You raise your hand or press a button whenever you hear a sound, even if it’s very faint.
4. The audiologist marks the quietest sounds you can hear on a chart called a pure tone audiogram.

The entire test usually takes about 15–30 minutes and is done in a quiet room.

Understanding the Pure Tone Audiogram

After the PTA test for ear, you’ll receive a chart called a pure tone audiogram. It looks like a graph with frequency (pitch) on the horizontal axis and loudness on the vertical axis.

Your results will be plotted as red circles (right ear) and blue X’s (left ear), and the position of these marks will help your audiologist see the degree and type of hearing loss, if any.

PTA Hearing Test Normal Range

The PTA hearing test normal range is between 0 to 25 decibels (dB) across all tested frequencies. Here’s a simple breakdown:

• 0 to 25 dB: Normal hearing
• 26 to 40 dB: Mild hearing loss
• 41 to 55 dB: Moderate hearing loss
• 56 to 70 dB: Moderately severe
• 71 to 90 dB: Severe hearing loss
• Above 90 dB: Profound hearing loss

If your hearing thresholds fall outside the normal range, the audiologist will guide you on the next steps like monitoring, medical treatment, or with hearing aids.

Why Is the PTA Test Important?

Whether you’re a child struggling in school, an adult who finds conversations harder to follow, or a senior wanting to stay connected, the PTA hearing test can help identify issues early.

It’s also commonly used:

• For routine ear check ups
• After exposure to loud noise
• If you experience ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• To monitor changes in hearing due to medication or illness
• Before prescribing hearing aids

With early detection through the PTA test, solutions can be tailored to your specific hearing profile.

Also Read: What Decibel Level Is Harmful to Hearing?

Hearing Aids For Severe and Profound Hearing Loss 

FAQs

What is pure tone audiometry?
Pure Tone Audiometry is a hearing test that measures the softest sounds a person can hear at different frequencies. It helps detect hearing loss and determine its severity.

How is pure tone audiometry test done?
The test is done in a quiet room using headphones. You’ll hear tones of different pitches and volumes in one ear at a time and signal whenever you hear a sound.

What is pure tone audiometry test?
The Pure Tone Audiometry test is a standard method to check hearing levels. It plots results on a graph called a pure tone audiogram and hearing loss.