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Hearing tests in Christchurch

A hearing test is not something you pass or fail. It is a measurement of how well you hear across different pitches, in each ear, and a look at why. Nothing about it is uncomfortable, and it takes one appointment. Here is the whole thing.

Hearing Tests

What a hearing test actually involves

All appointments are different, but at Hearing with Heart, we are all about making things as easy as possible. Below is an idea of what you can expect when getting a hearing test with Hearing with Heart.

Three levels of test

Which one you need depends on what you have noticed and why you are coming in. If you are not sure, book and we will start with a look and a conversation.

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A hearing check

A short screening that tells you whether a full test is worth doing. Useful if you are simply not sure whether anything has changed.

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A full hearing assessment

The complete picture: every pitch, both ears, plus how well you follow speech. This is the one most people come in for.

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A clinical diagnostic hearing test

More detailed testing, usually when a GP or specialist has asked for it, or when a record is needed for work or an ACC claim.

Who it is for

  • You are turning the TV up louder than other people in the room want it
  • You follow one person fine, but lose the thread in a group or a busy cafe
  • You are asking people to repeat themselves more than you used to
  • Someone at home mentioned it before you did
  • Your GP or a specialist has asked for a hearing test
  • You need a record of your hearing for work
A smiling man and a young girl outdoors, with the girl holding a brown plush bunny toy. The man is wearing an olive green button-up shirt, and the background shows a softly blurred house and trees.

The Appointment

What happens on the day

Five steps. None of them involve anything sharp, and none of them hurt.

  1. We talk first

    What you have noticed, when it started, which situations are hardest, and your ear and health history.

  2. We look in both ears

    With an otoscope. If there is wax in the way we will tell you, because it can affect the results.

  3. The tones

    You sit in a quiet room wearing headphones and press a button whenever you hear a tone, however faint. Some are very faint — that is the point.

  4. The speech testing

    We check how well you follow words, not just tones. For most people this is the part that matches real life.

  5. Your results, explained

    We put your results on the chart in front of you and talk through what they mean. You are not handed a page of numbers and sent home.

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Common questions about hearing tests

How do I get a hearing test?

Book an appointment with us directly. If a GP or specialist has already asked for a test, bring their letter or referral with you if you have it.

A hearing check takes about 30 minutes. A full assessment takes about an hour, including the conversation at the start and going through your results at the end.

Whenever you have started wondering. There is no particular age or trigger you need to wait for. Common prompts are asking for repeats more often, struggling in background noise, or someone at home mentioning it. If you are only coming in to rule it out, that is a perfectly good reason.

You sit in a quiet room wearing headphones and press a button when you hear a tone. We test each ear separately across a range of pitches, then check how well you follow speech. You are never asked to guess or perform — if you did not hear it, you did not hear it.

Your results go on a chart called an audiogram. Pitch runs left to right, low to high, and volume runs top to bottom, quiet to loud. The marks show the quietest sound you responded to at each pitch — so the lower down the chart a mark sits, the louder that pitch had to be. We go through your own chart with you rather than leaving you to interpret it.

An online test is a rough screen, not a measurement. It depends on your own headphones and how quiet your room is, and it cannot look inside your ear, so it cannot tell whether something like wax is involved. It is a reasonable way to decide whether to book. Ours is on the online hearing test page.

Ready when you are

Book an appointment

Pick a time that suits you. If you are not sure which service you need, book anyway and we will work it out together.

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Related services: ear wax removal, custom ear plugs, and all our services. You can also check what funding you may be eligible for with our funding quiz.