What to Expect at Your Hearing Test
A Hearing Test at Hearing Solutions is comfortable, non-invasive, and typically takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on your concerns. You’ll start with a quick ear exam, then move into a quiet testing booth where you listen for tones through headphones. Afterward, your clinician will sit down with you and walk you through your results. No referral needed, just book your appointment and show up.
Before Your Appointment - What to Bring
There’s no preparation needed before your hearing test. You don’t need to do anything differently in the days leading up to your appointment, and nothing about the test itself is uncomfortable or invasive.
The only thing to bring is your health card. That’s it.
If you have extended health benefits and you’d like to know whether your plan covers hearing aids or other services, bring your insurance card and our team can help you look into your coverage while you’re in.
A few other things that are helpful but not required:
- Previous hearing tests results from a different clinic if you have them
- Any hearing aids you currently wear
- A family member or close friend, if you’d like a second set of ears in the room when reviewing your results
What Happens During a Hearing Test Appointment?
A hearing test at Hearing Solutions typically takes 45 minutes to an hour from start to finish. Here’s exactly what to expect when you arrive:
1. Check-In & Case History
When you arrive, your clinician will start by asking a few questions about your hearing history. Things like whether you’ve noticed any changes in your hearing, whether you’re regularly exposed to loud noise, and any medications you are currently taking. This takes about5-10 minutes and helps your audiologist or hearing instrument specialist tailor the evaluation to you.
2. Otoscopy - Looking in Your Ears
Before your hearing test begins, your clinician will use a small handheld instrument called an otoscope to to look inside your ear canals. This checks for anything that could affect your test results, such as earwax buildup or fluid behind the eardrum. It’s quick, painless, and takes less than a minute per ear.
3. Pure-Tone Audiometry
You’ll be seated in a sound-treated booth and given a set of headphones. Your clinician will play a series of tones that at different pitches and volumes through the headphones. Each time you hear a tone, even if it’s very faint, you press a button. This maps the softest sounds you can detect across a full range of frequencies. There are no right or wrong answers. Just respond to what you hear.
4. Speech Recognition Testing
Next, you’ll be asked to repeat back a series of words spoken at different volumes. This tests how clearly you understand speech, not just whether you can hear sound. It’s one of the most important parts of the evaluation because it reflects how your hearing performs in real conversations.
5. Reviewing Your Results
Once your tests are complete, your clinician will walk you through your audiogram results. They’ll explain what each part of the chart means, identify any areas of hearing loss, and answer your questions. You won’t leave wondering what your results mean.
6. Personalized Recommendations
If hearing loss is detected, your clinician will explain your options clearly without pressure. Depending on your results, lifestyle, and listening needs, they may recommend a hearing aid style, a follow-up evaluation, or simply monitoring your hearing over time. Every recommendation is tailored to you. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach at Hearing Solutions.
7. In-Clinic Hearing Aid Demonstrations
If hearing aids are recommended, you’ll have the opportunity to try devices in the clinic before making any decisions. Your clinician can demonstrate how different styles and technology levels perform in real-world situations, so you can hear the difference for yourself. This is also a good time to ask about our 10-day risk-free Try Before You Buy Program and 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
8. Understanding Your Funding & Financing Options
Hearing aids represent a significant investment, and your clinician will help you understand what financial support may be available to you. This includes the Ontario Assistive Devices Program (ADP). Flexible financing options are also available. No one should put off better hearing because of cost. Your clinician will walk you through every option before you leave.
See It For Yourself
Watch how a hearing test works at Hearing Solutions from the moment you walk in to reviewing your results.
Book your hearing test today
Is a Hearing Test Free in Ontario?
OHIP stopped covering routine hearing tests in Ontario in 2001. For most adults, a hearing test at a private clinic is not covered by province, regardless of age.
FREE - Patients 50 & over
No referral. No cost. No catch
$95 - Patients under 50
Insurance may cover. Ask our team.
What about private insurance?
Many extended health benefit plans do cover hearing tests. If you have coverage through your employer or personal plan, our team can help you check before your appointment. Just call or visit your nearest location.
The one OHIP exception
If your family doctor or ENT specialist refers you for a hearing assessment due to a specific medical concern, such as sudden hearing loss, dizziness, or an ear infection, that diagnostic test may be covered when performed in a hospital or specialist clinic. A routine hearing test at Hearing Solutions falls outside this coverage.
What Happens After Your Hearing Test?
Your results don’t get mailed to you or sent off to be reviewed. Your clinician goes over everything with you before you leave. By the end of your appointment, you’ll have a clear picture of where your hearing stands and what, if anything, to do next.
If your hearing is within normal range, your clinician will let you know and give you a baseline to refer back to in future tests.
If hearing loss is detected, they’ll walk you through your options in plain language with no pressure and no obligation to move forward. Depending on your results and lifestyle, that conversation might include:
- Hearing aid styles and technology levels, including an in-clinic demonstration so you can hear the difference for yourself.
- Our 10-day risk-free Try Before You Buy program and 90-day satisfaction guarantee.
- Funding options, including the Ontario Assistive Devices Program (ADP) and insurance coverage.
There’s no expectation to to make any decisions on the spot. The goal of the appointment is to give you the information you need to move forward confidently on your own timeline.
Get Started
By booking your hearing test with a trusted hearing healthcare professional, you are taking the first and most important step on a journey that will reintroduce you to the world of sound and the joys of communication
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FAQ's
No referral is needed. You can book directly at any Hearing Solutions location online, by phone, or by walking in.
Not at all. A hearing test is completely non-invasive. You’ll sit in a quiet booth, wear headphones, and press a button when you hear a tone. There’s nothing inserted into the ear and no discomfort involved.
A full hearing assessment at Hearing Solutions takes approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes depending on your concerns. This includes a conversation about your hearing history, the test itself, and a review of your results with your clinician.
For patients 50 and over, a hearing test at Hearing Solutions is free. For patients under 50, the fee is $95. Many extended health benefit plans cover hearing tests and our team can help you check your coverage before your appointment.
Just yourself. If you have previous hearing test results or wear hearing aids already, bring those along. If you have extended health coverage and want to check if it covers the appointment, bring your insurance card or benefits booklet.
Your clinician will walk you through your results and explain what they mean for your day-to-day hearing. If hearing loss is detected, they’ll discuss your options including hearing aids, assistive devices, or a referral if needed. There’s no pressure and no obligation.
