Hearing Health Checklist
Hearing changes with age (presbycusis) and with loud noise, which can damage the inner ear permanently. Only a hearing test by an audiologist measures how well you hear. This page does not estimate a "hearing age". It counts signs and exposures that health agencies say are worth acting on.
Before you start
Method : Hearing Health Checklist — a custom points score written by this site. Each answer adds or subtracts the points shown in the Methodology table below.
Validation : Unvalidated. The points have never been tested against any laboratory measurement or health outcome, and the result is not an age.
Review : not reviewed by a qualified clinician. Educational only — not a diagnosis or a medical test.
Sudden hearing loss in one or both ears needs urgent medical attention the same day.
Your answers stay in this browser tab; nothing is sent or stored.
Answer the questions, then press Calculate score.
How to Use This Calculator
- Answer each question.
- Press Calculate score.
- Read the breakdown and suggestions.
Methodology & assumptions
Your score is the sum of the points below. The weights are our own judgement. The old version added made-up years to your age for each answer and floored the result at age − 10. That output and the "hearing health rating" were removed because they were never tested against hearing measurements.
| Factor | Answer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Trouble hearing high-pitched sounds (birds, beeps, children's voices) | No | 0 |
| Occasionally | +1 | |
| Often | +2 | |
| Most of the time | +3 | |
| Trouble following conversation in noisy places | No | 0 |
| Sometimes | +1 | |
| Often | +2 | |
| Ringing or buzzing in the ears (tinnitus) | No | 0 |
| Occasionally | +1 | |
| Frequently or constantly | +2 | |
| Loud noise at work or hobbies without ear protection | Rarely | 0 |
| Sometimes | +1 | |
| Weekly | +2 | |
| Daily | +3 | |
| Earbud / headphone listening | Rarely, or at low volume | 0 |
| 1–2 h a day at moderate volume | 0 | |
| 3+ h a day or at high volume | +1 | |
| Many hours daily at high volume | +2 | |
| Close relative with hearing loss before old age | No / don't know | 0 |
| Yes | +1 |
Worked examples
Often misses high sounds, often struggles in noise, frequent tinnitus, daily unprotected noise, heavy earbud use, family history: 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 1 + 1 = +11 points.
No symptoms, rare loud noise, moderate earbud use, no family history: 0 points.
Understanding your result
This counts signs and exposures you reported. It is not a hearing measurement and not an age. Any score above zero from the first three questions is a reason to book a hearing test. Health-agency guidance linked below is general and based on populations, not on this score.
Sources & further reading
- World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss (fact sheet).
- NIDCD (US National Institutes of Health). Age-Related Hearing Loss (Presbycusis).
- NIDCD. Noise-Induced Hearing Loss.
The points table is our own convention and is not taken from these sources.
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