Is a hearing screen the same as a hearing test? I was offered a free hearing test in the shopping centre. I was told I needed hearing aids and they were pressuring me to buy aids. Is this normal?
This test may be what is called a Hearing Screening. A hearing screening may indicate that you might have hearing loss. To investigate further, you will need a full hearing test to determine if you have a hearing loss and how that loss manifests itself.
The clinic in the example above may suggest you have a full hearing test with their audiologist (for a fee) to determine what type of hearing loss you have. If you are not comfortable in the situation just walk out and seek out an audiologist you trust and are comfortable with.
Usually, these “free tests” are to get you in the door and then, in some unscrupulous cases, the high-pressure tactics begin. Check out the information from the ACCC making an informed choice when buying hearing aids.