Free Hearing Aid Dealer and Fitter Qualifying Examination Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Hearing Aid Dealer and Fitter Qualifying Examination practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1A fitter measures a steady test sound at 80 dB and then increases it to 90 dB. By what factor has the sound intensity increased?

   1. A. 2 times as intense
   2. B. 10 times as intense
   3. C. 100 times as intense
   4. D. 1,000 times as intense

   Answer: B

   Explanation: NIDCD states, "if a sound is 80 decibels, and we add another 10 decibels, the sound will be ten times more intense". The 10 dB increase therefore multiplies intensity by 10; the roughly twofold change concerns perceived loudness, not intensity.

   Reference: How is Sound Measured? | NIDCD — How is Sound Measured?, decibel scale

2. 2During an air-conduction pure-tone test, a fitter is finding the threshold at one frequency. At the lowest qualifying intensity, how often should the patient perceive the tone?

   1. A. 25% of presentations
   2. B. 50% of presentations
   3. C. 75% of presentations
   4. D. 100% of presentations

   Answer: B

   Explanation: ASHA states, "Pure-tone thresholds are measured as the lowest intensity in decibels at which a certain frequency is perceived 50% of the time." The threshold criterion is half of presentations, not a lower, higher, or perfect response rate.

   Reference: Hearing Loss in Adults | ASHA Practice Portal — Pure-Tone Audiometry > Air-Conduction Measures

3. 3An adult in Rhode Island reports sudden hearing loss in one ear while seeking a hearing-aid fitting. Which local service type should the fitter identify for prompt medical evaluation?

   1. A. An adult audiology assessment service
   2. B. An adult aural rehabilitation counseling service
   3. C. An otolaryngology (ENT) medical service
   4. D. An adult hearing-aid fitting and verification service

   Answer: C

   Explanation: ASHA advises, "Refer to Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician when the patient reports experiencing" sudden hearing loss. Rhode Island's commission lists "Audiology/Speech or ENT Services in Rhode Island." The stated need is prompt medical evaluation; audiology, rehabilitation counseling, and routine fitting have other roles.

   Reference: Audiologist and ENT Referral Guide | ASHA — Refer to Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician

4. 4A Rhode Island dispenser is deciding whether a hearing aid sale is covered by the state Assistive Technology Lemon Law. How is the hearing aid classified under that law?

   1. A. An assistive technology device
   2. B. A collateral service
   3. C. An early termination cost
   4. D. A conforming replacement

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Section 6-45-1 expressly includes "Hearing aids, telephone communication devices for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and other assistive listening devices" within assistive technology devices. The hearing aid sale therefore falls within that covered device category.

   Reference: Title 6 Commercial Law — General Regulatory Provisions — § 6-45-1(1)(ii)

5. 5An unlicensed individual advertises in Rhode Island that she fits and sells hearing aids, although she has not yet served a customer. Does the licensing requirement apply?

   1. A. Yes, representing oneself as practicing fitting and sale also requires a license
   2. B. No, a license is required only after the first completed sale
   3. C. No, advertising alone is outside the licensing statute
   4. D. Yes, but only if the advertisement lists a price

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The prohibition covers unlicensed fitting, selling, and ordering use, as well as anyone who "display a sign, or in any other way advertise or represent themself as a person who practices the fitting and sale of hearing aids".

   Reference: Title 5 Businesses and Professions — § 5-49-2(a)

6. 6An audiometer tone is changed to a higher frequency while its sound intensity is held constant. What changes for the listener?

   1. A. The sound's pitch rises while its intensity stays constant.
   2. B. The sound's pitch falls while its intensity stays constant.
   3. C. The sound's intensity rises while its pitch stays constant.
   4. D. The sound's intensity falls while its pitch stays constant.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: NIDCD identifies "frequencies, or pitches of sound." Increasing frequency raises pitch. Because the stimulus intensity is held constant, the change does not itself raise or lower intensity.

   Reference: How is Sound Measured? | NIDCD — How is Sound Measured?, frequency and cochlea

7. 7A fitter needs a pure-tone measure that stimulates the cochlea despite a suspected obstruction in the outer or middle ear. Which transducer provides that path?

   1. A. An insert earphone placed in the ear canal
   2. B. A supra-aural earphone placed over the pinna
   3. C. A circumaural earphone placed around the pinna
   4. D. A bone oscillator placed against the mastoid bone

   Answer: D

   Explanation: ASHA explains, "Bone oscillators generate vibrations that stimulate the cochlea directly and bypass potential problems in the outer and middle ear." The three earphone types deliver air-conducted tones through those structures.

   Reference: Hearing Loss in Adults | ASHA Practice Portal — Pure-Tone Audiometry > Bone-Conduction Measures

8. 8A Rhode Island infant has a confirmed diagnosis of hearing loss. Under the state's early hearing detection pathway, into which service should the infant be enrolled before six months of age?

   1. A. Rhode Island Early Intervention (EI) Program
   2. B. Rhode Island School for the Deaf
   3. C. RI-EHDI family resource support
   4. D. Pediatric diagnostic audiology service

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Rhode Island's EHDI page says, "If an infant is diagnosed as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH):" and then "Enroll infant into early intervention services" before six months. The other services may support a child or family, but they are not the program identified for this enrollment goal.

   Reference: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention | Rhode Island Department of Health — Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program Goals

9. 9A parent leases a hearing aid for a child and signs the lease. Under Rhode Island's assistive-technology definitions, who is the consumer?

   1. A. Only the child who wears the device
   2. B. The parent who is a party to the lease
   3. C. The manufacturer that supplied the device
   4. D. The clinician who recommended the device

   Answer: B

   Explanation: The statute says the consumer is "the person who is a party, whether the buyer or the lessee, to the contract of sale or lease" and adds that this party is not necessarily the user. Because the parent signed the lease, the parent is the consumer.

   Reference: Title 6 Commercial Law — General Regulatory Provisions — § 6-45-1(6)

10. 10A Rhode Island licensee opens a second hearing aid office. What does § 5-49-2 require concerning license display?

    1. A. Display the original only at the newest office
    2. B. Post the license conspicuously and obtain a no-charge duplicate for the additional office
    3. C. Carry the original between offices according to the daily schedule
    4. D. Post a renewal receipt instead of a license at the second office

    Answer: B

    Explanation: The license must be "conspicuously posted" in the office or business, and the Department issues duplicates to valid licensees operating more than one office "without additional payment."

    Reference: Title 5 Businesses and Professions — § 5-49-2(b)