What is TikTok’s viral ‘hearing test’ & does it actually work?

TikTok users are finding out what their hearing age is by using a popular test that’s going viral on the app, but some think it might not be entirely accurate.

New videos are going viral on TikTok every single day, with some posts racking up astonishing amounts of views and likes, well into the millions.

People love finding out new things about themselves, and for that reason, quizzes, personality tests, and other similar types of content often end up garnering a lot of attention, such as the popular ‘human feeling’ quiz which told users what emotion they are.

One test in particular that has been garnering attention on the app since May, is the hearing test, uploaded by fitness coach Justin Agustin, and credited to Jarred Jermaine.

In this video, Justin plays a sound that gradually increases in pitch, while the age on-screen gets younger. Supposedly, whenever the user stops being able to hear the sound, the age on screen is their ‘ear age.’

The post now has over 15 million views, with users comparing their results in the comments. “Not me getting 40 at 23,” said one comment with over 8000 likes, another saying, “there’s no way there’s anything past 28.”

However, some commenters shared that the test may not actually be accurate due to the limitations of TikTok.

One user claimed that you would need high-frequency speakers or headphones in order for the test to be accurate, with another commenter claiming, “TikTok’s compression cuts out high frequencies to save on data costs.”

For that reason, you shouldn’t take the results of this test too seriously. If you have concerns about your hearing, you should consult a medical professional.