Audiology Praxis Practice Test UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
A patient comes to a clinic complaining of short, intensity dizzy spells. An audiologist suspects
that the patient may have BPPV. Which of the following tests is most appropriate to use to
confirm the diagnosis?
A. Headshaking test
B. Ocular VEMP test
C. Dix-Hallpike test
D. Fistula test - CORRECT ANSWER -C
A positioning test that assesses the presence of otoconia in the semicircular canal.
0 dB HL is best described by which of the following?
A. The intensity at which the audiometer produces no sound at any frequency
B. The different SPLs that occur at different frequencies
C. The minimum level at which speed is understood 50% of the time
The intensity of 10 dB SPL at 1000 Hz - CORRECT ANSWER -B
0 dB HL on an audiometer represents the minimum audible pressure needed at each frequency
for an individual with normal hearing to detect a pure tone. This value varies with frequency due
to the anatomic and physiologic properties of the auditory system.
An audiologist fit a patient with binaural, digital, behind-the-ear hearing aids three weeks ago.
The patient reports that the devices have provided suitable amplification in most environments
but also complains that soft background noise is distracting.
,To reduce the adverse noise effect, which of the following is the best adjustment for the
audiologist to make to the hearing aids?
A. Increasing the threshold kneepoint
B. Decreasing the compression ratio
C. Enabling wide dynamic range compression
D. Enabling expansion - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Enabling expansion reduces the gain of low-level ambient sounds.
Individuals with normal hearing sensitivity in one ear and a severe hearing loss in the other ear
experience which of the following?
A. An improvement in speech understanding when the noise source is closer to the ear that has
normal hearing
B. Improved ability to localize when the noise source is closer to the ear that has hearing loss
C. Better speech understanding and localization as the reverberation time increases
D. Improved localization when the noise is at 0 degrees azimuth and the source is closer to the
ear that has hearing loss - CORRECT ANSWER -A
For individuals with unilateral hearing loss, speech intelligibility improves when the ear with
better hearing is closer to the noise source. When this occurs, the SNR improves in the better ear.
Which of the following describes the relationship between the solid wave and the broken wave in
the figure?
A. They are in phase with one another.
B. The broken line leads the solid line by 180° 180 degrees.
C. The solid line leads the broken line by 90° 90 degrees.
D. The solid line lags the broken line by 90° 90 degrees. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
,The starting phase of the solid line is 0°, and the starting phase of the broken line is 90°.
Therefore, the solid line lags the broken line by 90°.
A patient is seen for a vestibular evaluation with the primary complaint of persistent imbalance
for the past six months. The patient reports one severe attack of true rotary vertigo six months
ago and since then fears that another will occur. The patient has limited many activities because
quick head movements increase symptoms.
Videonystagmography (VNG) results indicate normal saccade, optokinetic, and smooth pursuit
testing. A left-beating nystagmus is observed during gaze testing without fixation. Post-
headshake nystagmus reveals a left-beating nystagmus. No positioning or positional nystagmus
is observed. Bilateral bithermal caloric test results indicate a 50 percent right weakness with no
significant directional preponderance.
Based on the preceding information, the patient most likely has which of the following?
A. A central vestibular pathology
B. A statically uncompensated peripheral pathology affecting the - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
Videonystagmography (VNG) results normally provide site-of-lesion specific information to
determine the probable side of weakness. In this example, the patient had a 50 percent right
peripheral vestibular weakness, suggesting a peripheral pathology affecting the right side. The
post-headshake left-beating nystagmus suggests that the lesion is dynamically uncompensated.
Research shows that people wait as long as seven years before they seek hearing health care
services due to the negative stigma associated with hearing loss. Which of the following is most
likely to occur with untreated hearing loss?
A. Vision decline
B. Cognitive decline
C. Chronic fatigue
D. Debilitating tinnitus - CORRECT ANSWER -B
, The consequences of untreated hearing loss include lower signal quality in the brain (leading to a
higher cognitive load), a change in the structure of the brain, social disengagement, behavior
changes, and health issues like dementia, depression, fatigue, and anxiety.
A 65-year-old woman is fitted with her first pair of hearing aids. She and her husband are
attending their first audiologic rehabilitation session about communication strategies. She states
that she struggles to understand what her husband says "because he uses too many words."
Which of the following facilitative strategies would be the most appropriate to improve the
situation?
A .She should ask him to write down key words and topics.
B. She should make sure the lighting is appropriate for speechreading.
C. She should ask him to use shorter phrases and pause often.
D. She should encourage him to speak very slowly and exaggerate his enunciation. - CORRECT
ANSWER -C
She should use a message-tailoring strategy that teaches her communication partner to use
simple syntax and multiple shorter phrases rather than one longer one.
A patient with new hearing aids complains of difficulty understanding speech in noisy
environments such as restaurants. The audiologist verifies that the cardioid polar plots with fixed
directionality are working appropriately. Which of the following is the most appropriate action
for the audiologist to take when counseling the patient?
A. Encouraging the patient to consider purchasing hearing aids with omnidirectional polar plots
B. Recommending that the patient avoid reverberant environments when first wearing the new
hearing aids
C. Advising the patient to face the noise in certain environments to maximize the directional
function of the hearing aids
D. Counseling the patient to sit with the back toward the noise to maximize the directional
function of the hearing aids - CORRECT ANSWER -D
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
A patient comes to a clinic complaining of short, intensity dizzy spells. An audiologist suspects
that the patient may have BPPV. Which of the following tests is most appropriate to use to
confirm the diagnosis?
A. Headshaking test
B. Ocular VEMP test
C. Dix-Hallpike test
D. Fistula test - CORRECT ANSWER -C
A positioning test that assesses the presence of otoconia in the semicircular canal.
0 dB HL is best described by which of the following?
A. The intensity at which the audiometer produces no sound at any frequency
B. The different SPLs that occur at different frequencies
C. The minimum level at which speed is understood 50% of the time
The intensity of 10 dB SPL at 1000 Hz - CORRECT ANSWER -B
0 dB HL on an audiometer represents the minimum audible pressure needed at each frequency
for an individual with normal hearing to detect a pure tone. This value varies with frequency due
to the anatomic and physiologic properties of the auditory system.
An audiologist fit a patient with binaural, digital, behind-the-ear hearing aids three weeks ago.
The patient reports that the devices have provided suitable amplification in most environments
but also complains that soft background noise is distracting.
,To reduce the adverse noise effect, which of the following is the best adjustment for the
audiologist to make to the hearing aids?
A. Increasing the threshold kneepoint
B. Decreasing the compression ratio
C. Enabling wide dynamic range compression
D. Enabling expansion - CORRECT ANSWER -D
Enabling expansion reduces the gain of low-level ambient sounds.
Individuals with normal hearing sensitivity in one ear and a severe hearing loss in the other ear
experience which of the following?
A. An improvement in speech understanding when the noise source is closer to the ear that has
normal hearing
B. Improved ability to localize when the noise source is closer to the ear that has hearing loss
C. Better speech understanding and localization as the reverberation time increases
D. Improved localization when the noise is at 0 degrees azimuth and the source is closer to the
ear that has hearing loss - CORRECT ANSWER -A
For individuals with unilateral hearing loss, speech intelligibility improves when the ear with
better hearing is closer to the noise source. When this occurs, the SNR improves in the better ear.
Which of the following describes the relationship between the solid wave and the broken wave in
the figure?
A. They are in phase with one another.
B. The broken line leads the solid line by 180° 180 degrees.
C. The solid line leads the broken line by 90° 90 degrees.
D. The solid line lags the broken line by 90° 90 degrees. - CORRECT ANSWER -D
,The starting phase of the solid line is 0°, and the starting phase of the broken line is 90°.
Therefore, the solid line lags the broken line by 90°.
A patient is seen for a vestibular evaluation with the primary complaint of persistent imbalance
for the past six months. The patient reports one severe attack of true rotary vertigo six months
ago and since then fears that another will occur. The patient has limited many activities because
quick head movements increase symptoms.
Videonystagmography (VNG) results indicate normal saccade, optokinetic, and smooth pursuit
testing. A left-beating nystagmus is observed during gaze testing without fixation. Post-
headshake nystagmus reveals a left-beating nystagmus. No positioning or positional nystagmus
is observed. Bilateral bithermal caloric test results indicate a 50 percent right weakness with no
significant directional preponderance.
Based on the preceding information, the patient most likely has which of the following?
A. A central vestibular pathology
B. A statically uncompensated peripheral pathology affecting the - CORRECT
ANSWER -D
Videonystagmography (VNG) results normally provide site-of-lesion specific information to
determine the probable side of weakness. In this example, the patient had a 50 percent right
peripheral vestibular weakness, suggesting a peripheral pathology affecting the right side. The
post-headshake left-beating nystagmus suggests that the lesion is dynamically uncompensated.
Research shows that people wait as long as seven years before they seek hearing health care
services due to the negative stigma associated with hearing loss. Which of the following is most
likely to occur with untreated hearing loss?
A. Vision decline
B. Cognitive decline
C. Chronic fatigue
D. Debilitating tinnitus - CORRECT ANSWER -B
, The consequences of untreated hearing loss include lower signal quality in the brain (leading to a
higher cognitive load), a change in the structure of the brain, social disengagement, behavior
changes, and health issues like dementia, depression, fatigue, and anxiety.
A 65-year-old woman is fitted with her first pair of hearing aids. She and her husband are
attending their first audiologic rehabilitation session about communication strategies. She states
that she struggles to understand what her husband says "because he uses too many words."
Which of the following facilitative strategies would be the most appropriate to improve the
situation?
A .She should ask him to write down key words and topics.
B. She should make sure the lighting is appropriate for speechreading.
C. She should ask him to use shorter phrases and pause often.
D. She should encourage him to speak very slowly and exaggerate his enunciation. - CORRECT
ANSWER -C
She should use a message-tailoring strategy that teaches her communication partner to use
simple syntax and multiple shorter phrases rather than one longer one.
A patient with new hearing aids complains of difficulty understanding speech in noisy
environments such as restaurants. The audiologist verifies that the cardioid polar plots with fixed
directionality are working appropriately. Which of the following is the most appropriate action
for the audiologist to take when counseling the patient?
A. Encouraging the patient to consider purchasing hearing aids with omnidirectional polar plots
B. Recommending that the patient avoid reverberant environments when first wearing the new
hearing aids
C. Advising the patient to face the noise in certain environments to maximize the directional
function of the hearing aids
D. Counseling the patient to sit with the back toward the noise to maximize the directional
function of the hearing aids - CORRECT ANSWER -D
