Frequently Asked Questions

The Hearing Number app (available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets) was created by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health under contract by Mimi Hearing Technologies. See this FAQ on the Mimi site for technical questions about using the Hearing Number app.

There are a few ways to get your Hearing Numbers.

• Download the Hearing Number app. The Hearing Number app from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg of Public Health is available for iOS or Android smartphones and tablets. Take a short hearing test and get your right and left ear Hearing Numbers.
• Use another app. If you have an iOS device, you can also use apps from Mimi or Jacoti to get your Hearing Numbers.
• Use Apple’s hearing test. If you have AirPods Pro 2 and an iPhone or iPad, you can learn your Hearing Numbers with the clinical-grade Apple hearing test.
• See a hearing professional. Your hearing care professional, such as an audiologist, will test your hearing. Ask them to tell you your 4-frequency pure tone average in each ear which are your Hearing Numbers.
• Calculate your Hearing Numbers from your audiogram. If you have a copy of your hearing test, also known as an audiogram, follow these directions to calculate your Hearing Numbers.

Knowing your Hearing Numbers allows you to take control of your hearing health now and throughout your life. Many people know and track certain aspects of their health such as their weight, blood pressure, or step count so that they can monitor these aspects of their health. Hearing is no different. Knowing your Hearing Numbers and monitoring them over time tells you when and how your hearing changes. This can help you choose communication strategies or hearing technologies to help protect your hearing or to hear better.

The Hearing Number is known clinically as the 4-frequency pure tone average (PTA4) which is the average of your hearing levels at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz. These tones are the frequencies of sound most important for speech. There are also other ways to test hearing, including measuring your high-frequency hearing and your speech understanding in quiet and noise, that a hearing professional may offer during a clinical evaluation. The PTA4 is used by hearing specialists all over the world, so no matter where your hearing is tested, your PTA4 is the same. The PTA4 is the basis of how clinicians and the World Health Organization classify hearing into mild, moderate, and severe loss.

Getting Hearing Numbers that vary by about 5 dB from test to test is common. This is because your Hearing Numbers indicate the softest speech sound you can hear in each ear when you’re taking the test. Your ability to hear sounds during a test can be affected by background noise, your attention level/fatigue during the test, the headphones that you’re using, and other factors.

There is no perfect score. The lower your Hearing Numbers are, the softer the sounds you can hear. Everyone’s Hearing Numbers change over time, as part of the natural changes to the inner ear that we all experience.

Assessing hearing regularly can help you be aware of any changes to your hearing and know when to take action. This could include adopting simple strategies like taking steps to protect your hearing or using hearing technologies to hear better.

The Hearing Number is not a diagnostic tool. Hearing care professionals, such as audiologists, ENTs/otolaryngologists, and hearing aid specialists can provide full assessments of hearing. Talk to your doctor if your right and left ear Hearing Numbers are different by more than 10 or if you have persistent ear pain, dizziness, ear drainage, or sudden or fluctuating hearing loss.

Your Hearing Numbers cannot be lowered. Everyone’s hearing changes over time because the parts of the inner ear that detect sound wear out throughout our lives. As this happens, your Hearing Numbers will slowly increase over your lifetime. No hearing technology, including hearing aids and over-the-counter devices, can undo those changes. Your Hearing Numbers can clue you in to the strategies you can use to hear better.

One of the most important things you can do to protect your hearing is to avoid exposure to loud noises. If you can’t move away from loud noises, ear protection (such as earplugs or noise protection earmuffs) can help.