Is the National Hearing Test that’s done over the phone—or now online—a good way to get your hearing checked?

Yes, actually. The National Hearing Test (NHT) is considered a reliable screening test for hearing loss.

Standard hearing tests, administered by audiologists, involve wearing headphones that play a variety of sounds, including hums, buzzing, and beeps. In contrast, the NHT, done over the telephone or online, involves listening to a series of three numbers spoken against a staticky background, simulating the attempt to discern speech in a noisy room.

The NHT detects hearing loss but cannot differentiate the cause of it. For older people, the most common reason for hearing loss is called presbycusis—age-related hearing loss that results from changes to the inner and middle ear and along the nerve pathways to the brain.

The NHT costs $8  (free for AARP members to do once a year) and takes less than 10 minutes. When you’re ready, you’ll be asked to fill out an optional pre-test questionnaire (for research purposes) and then you will pay online. (If you are an AARP member, you’ll be directed to log in to AARP to receive a free test.) There are two options: You can take the test online (if you have headphones or earbuds to connect to your computer or mobile device) or over the phone (where you hold your cellphone or telephone handset to each ear).

For the online version, you will click on a link and do the test using a mouse or touchscreen to respond; results will be presented on the screen. For the telephone version, you will be given a toll-free number and an access code, and you will enter your responses using your phone’s keypad; results are provided by voice.

Two important considerations: You should be in a quiet room, and, if you use the online version, be sure you have a good internet connection.

Test results are confidential and not shared anywhere. For online results, each ear is accorded a “Hearing Number” and rated as good (0 to 20), mild hearing loss (21 to 35), moderate loss (36 to 50), moderately severe loss (51 to 65), or severe loss (66+). If your numbers are below 20, you probably have no difficulty hearing conversations set against low background noise; if you are at 51 or above, you likely have trouble understanding speech even in quiet places and find conversations very hard to maintain when there is background noise. For the telephone version, a recorded voice gives results for each ear as within normal limits, slightly below normal limits, or substantially below normal limits.

The test was validated by a study done at Veterans Affairs centers and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. It found that the results correlated well with gold-standard hearing tests. Still, there is a disclaimer that the results are just an estimate: You should consult a certified hearing professional for a more detailed and accurate assessment if hearing loss is detected—or if you experience problems following conversations or often ask people to repeat what they said, even if you do well on the test. A search tool is provided where you can find an audiologist or otolaryngologist in your area—or ask your primary care physician for a referral.

For more information about accessing the test, interpreting the results, and other hearing loss resources, click here.