What are cents?
Pitch differences are usually measured in cents. An octave (double the frequency) is 1200 cents and a semitone, one piano key, is 100 cents. Cents are a ratio, so the same number of cents is the same musical interval whether the notes are low or high.
How the higher or lower test works
You hear a random reference tone between 400 and 600 Hz followed by a second tone that is slightly higher or lower. The gap starts at 150 cents. Two correct answers in a row shrink it by a factor of about 1.41, and one wrong answer grows it by the same factor. This "two down, one up" staircase is a standard psychoacoustic method that settles on the gap you can tell apart about 70.7% of the time. The test ends after 10 changes of direction or 60 trials, and your result is the geometric mean of the last six turning points.
Match the tone
Listen to a reference between 220 and 880 Hz and move the slider until your tone sounds the same. The slider spans one octave either side of the reference and always starts 300 to 900 cents away. You get the average error over five rounds, in cents.
Please note
- This is not a hearing test. If you have trouble hearing, see a doctor or an audiologist.
- Start with the volume low and raise it slowly. Long periods of loud sound are bad for your ears.
- Results are best in a quiet place when you can concentrate.