Free Department-hosted Hearing Aid Dispenser Exam (DHADE) Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Department-hosted Hearing Aid Dispenser Exam (DHADE) practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1During otoscopy, which contact point should an Arizona DHADE candidate reject because it can move independently relative to the ear and therefore does not provide stable bracing?

   1. A. The cheekbone close to the ear
   2. B. The skull immediately behind the ear
   3. C. The soft jaw below the ear
   4. D. The top of the head above the ear

   Answer: C

   Explanation: The Arizona technical-assistance document says that moving the hand farther down on the jaw is unacceptable because the jaw "can move independently relative to the ear." The cheekbone and skull positions are presented as stable bracing locations.

   Reference: Technical Assistance Bracing — pages 6-10

2. 2An audiometric result is calculated as the percentage of presented words the client repeats correctly. Which named measure is it?

   1. A. Speech discrimination
   2. B. Speech reception threshold
   3. C. Most comfortable loudness level
   4. D. Uncomfortable loudness level

   Answer: A

   Explanation: R9-16-311(A)(3)(b) describes the client’s ability, "as measured by the percentage of words the client is able to repeat correctly, to discriminate speech." All four choices are real audiometric measures, but only speech discrimination is expressed as the percentage of words repeated correctly.

   Reference: AAC R 9 16 Article 3 — R9-16-311(A)(3)(b)-(c)

3. 3Which statewide telecommunications service must Arizona’s commission establish in addition to distributing devices?

   1. A. A dual-party relay system that makes public telephone service available to qualifying users
   2. B. Purchase, repair, and distribution of telecommunication devices
   3. C. Administration and operation of the telecommunication-device program
   4. D. Hearings on objections to civil penalties imposed by the commission

   Answer: A

   Explanation: A.R.S. § 36-1947(A) requires the commission to "establish a dual party relay system making all phases of public telephone service available to persons who are deaf or severely hearing or speech impaired." The other choices are separate, real statutory functions, but they are not the additional relay service asked for.

   Reference: 36-1947 - Telecommunication devices for the deaf and the hearing and speech impaired; fund — A.R.S. § 36-1947(A)-(D)

4. 4Which audiometric item belongs to Arizona’s required three-part description of hearing loss, rather than to the separately required speech and loudness measures?

   1. A. Configuration
   2. B. Speech discrimination
   3. C. Most comfortable loudness level
   4. D. Uncomfortable loudness level

   Answer: A

   Explanation: R9-16-311(A)(3)(a) expressly lists "type, degree, and configuration of hearing loss." The other three choices are genuine measures required by adjacent subsections, but configuration is the one belonging to the three-part hearing-loss description.

   Reference: AAC R 9 16 Article 3 — R9-16-311(A)(3)(a)-(c)

5. 5A patient has a low-frequency threshold near 25 dB HL and a high-frequency threshold near 65 dB HL. Four candidate devices have these published gains at the same input level. Which frequency-gain pattern most directly targets the poorer high-frequency region?

   1. A. 20 dB gain at low frequencies and 10 dB gain at high frequencies.
   2. B. 15 dB gain at low frequencies and 35 dB gain at high frequencies.
   3. C. 20 dB gain at low frequencies and 20 dB gain at high frequencies.
   4. D. 30 dB gain at low frequencies and 15 dB gain at high frequencies.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: ASHA says selection considers "the compatibility of the electroacoustic specifications with the auditory characteristics and personal needs of the patient" and includes "frequency-gain characteristics." The patient's greater high-frequency loss points to the pattern with more high-frequency than low-frequency gain.

   Reference: ASHA Hearing Aids for Adults — Hearing aid selection, electroacoustic characteristics

6. 6After fitting a hearing aid, which result must an Arizona dispenser obtain from an evaluation with the device functioning on the client’s ear?

   1. A. Audibility provided and benefit to the client
   2. B. Type, degree, and configuration of hearing loss
   3. C. Percentage of words repeated correctly
   4. D. Most comfortable and uncomfortable loudness levels

   Answer: A

   Explanation: R9-16-311(A)(6) requires evaluation of the hearing aid "as it functions on the client’s ear" to assess "the degree of audibility provided by the device and benefit to the client." The other choices are genuine preselection audiometric results required by R9-16-311(A)(3), not the on-ear device-performance result.

   Reference: AAC R 9 16 Article 3 — R9-16-311(A)(3), (6)

7. 7Which medical-eligibility document must an Arizona dispenser keep in each client record before treating the client as cleared to use hearing aids?

   1. A. A physician’s written medical clearance or an adult client’s signed medical waiver
   2. B. A copy of the hearing-aid bill of sale
   3. C. Documented verification of the hearing aid’s effectiveness
   4. D. Contracts, warranties, and trial-period documents involving the client

   Answer: A

   Explanation: R9-16-312(C)(2) requires a physician statement establishing "medical clearance to use hearing aids" or a medical waiver signed by a client who is at least 18. The other choices are separate, genuine client-record categories in R9-16-312(C)(4)-(6), but they do not establish medical eligibility.

   Reference: AAC R 9 16 Article 3 — R9-16-312(C)(2), (4)-(6)

8. 8A dispenser braces an otolight with only one fingertip against the head. Which bracing defect matches that exact technique?

   1. A. Control exists in only the same vector as the fingertip
   2. B. The contact point can move independently relative to the ear
   3. C. Only the instrument contacts the ear, so no bracing point exists
   4. D. The supporting hand leaves the instrument before the encounter ends

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Arizona labels this a "single pinky ‘pogo stick’" position and explains that a single contact vector provides very little stability. The other choices describe separate bracing failures shown in the same guidance: using the movable jaw, relying on instrument contact alone, and stopping support before the encounter is complete.

   Reference: Technical Assistance Bracing — pages 3, 15, 22, and 47

9. 9Which pair of audiometric values supplies the loudness-tolerance information Arizona requires before hearing-aid selection?

   1. A. Air- and bone-conduction thresholds
   2. B. Speech reception threshold and word-recognition score
   3. C. Most comfortable and uncomfortable loudness levels
   4. D. Masked and unmasked pure-tone thresholds

   Answer: C

   Explanation: R9-16-311(A)(3)(c) expressly requires "the client’s most comfortable and uncomfortable loudness levels in decibels." The other choices are genuine audiometric result pairs, but they do not constitute the required comfortable-versus-uncomfortable loudness pair.

   Reference: AAC R 9 16 Article 3 — R9-16-311(A)(3)(c)

10. 10Which description matches an assistive listening device or system under Arizona law?

    1. A. A system designed to improve signal-to-noise ratio and send sound from near the source to the listener
    2. B. A hearing aid battery or cord sold as a replacement part
    3. C. An audiometer used solely to establish unaided thresholds
    4. D. A formal lip-reading curriculum offered without any device

    Answer: A

    Explanation: A.R.S. § 36-1901(3) defines it as "an amplification system that is specifically designed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for the listener who is deaf or hard of hearing" and further describes sending sound from near the source directly to the listener.

    Reference: 2026 A.R.S. Title 36, Chapter 17 — A.R.S. § 36-1901(3)