Hearing Screening vs. Full Hearing Test: What Is the Difference?

People sometimes use “hearing screening” and “hearing test” interchangeably, but they are different procedures with different purposes. Understanding the distinction matters because it affects what you learn about your hearing and what happens next.

What is a hearing screening?

A hearing screening is a quick pass-fail check designed to identify whether a hearing problem might exist. It does not diagnose the type, degree, or cause of hearing loss. It simply flags that further testing is warranted.

Screenings are often done in:

• Schools (for children)
• Workplace health programs
• Community health fairs
• Doctor’s offices as part of a general checkup
• Online or through smartphone apps (with significant limitations)

A typical screening involves listening for tones at a few frequencies and indicating whether you heard them. It takes just a few minutes. The result is either “pass” (no further action needed at this time) or “refer” (you should get a full hearing test).

What is a full hearing test?

A full hearing test, properly called a comprehensive audiological assessment, is a diagnostic procedure performed by a registered audiologist in a sound-treated environment using calibrated equipment.

It typically includes:

Otoscopy

The audiologist looks into your ear canal with an otoscope to check for earwax, infection, or structural issues that could affect the test or your hearing.

Pure-tone audiometry

You wear headphones and respond to tones at different frequencies (pitches) and volumes. This produces an audiogram, a graph showing exactly which sounds you can and cannot hear in each ear. Testing is done through headphones (air conduction) and sometimes through a bone vibrator placed behind the ear (bone conduction) to determine what type of hearing loss you have.

Speech audiometry

You listen to and repeat words at different volumes. This measures how well you understand speech, not just detect sound, and how loud speech needs to be for you to hear it comfortably.

Tympanometry

A small probe is placed in the ear canal to measure how the eardrum moves. This checks for fluid behind the eardrum, Eustachian tube problems, or other middle-ear issues.

Additional tests as needed

Depending on the results, the audiologist may perform speech-in-noise testing, otoacoustic emissions (OAE) testing, or other specialized assessments.

Why the distinction matters

A screening can miss hearing loss. It tests only a few frequencies and does not measure the degree of loss. You can pass a screening and still have hearing loss in ranges that were not tested, or at levels that fall just below the screening threshold.

A full hearing test gives you and your audiologist a complete picture: what kind of hearing loss you have, how severe it is, which frequencies are affected, and whether it is in one or both ears. This information is essential for recommending the right treatment.

When to skip the screening and go straight to a full test

If you are experiencing any of these, a screening is not enough:

• Difficulty understanding conversations, especially in noise
• Frequently asking people to repeat themselves
• Turning up the TV or phone volume more than others need
• Ringing, buzzing, or hissing in your ears (tinnitus)
• A feeling of fullness or pressure in one or both ears
• Any sudden change in hearing

In these cases, book a full hearing test directly. A screening would likely just tell you what you already suspect and delay the information you actually need.

Getting a full hearing test in Edmonton

At Edmonton Hearing Clinic, every hearing test is a full diagnostic assessment performed by a registered audiologist. We do not do pass-fail screenings — we do the complete evaluation so you leave with clear answers.

No referral is needed. Book at any of our three Alberta locations or ask about our mobile in-home hearing care if getting to a clinic is difficult.