Michigan licenses the people who sell and fit hearing aids in two tiers under Article 13 of the Occupational Code (MCL 339.1301–339.1309). The Hearing Aid Salesperson is the entry dispensing license — the license of the person who tests hearing, takes ear impressions, and sells and fits hearing aids as an employee of a dealer — and the Hearing Aid Dealer is the senior license above it. Both are examined by state-specific PSI examinations, not by the International Licensing Examination (ILE). The PassProfessor Michigan program prepares candidates for the Salesperson Theory Examination and the Salesperson Practical Examination (Ear Impression) that stand behind the entry license, and for the Dealer Theory Examination that follows it. The companion exam guide at /michigan-hearing-instrument-specialist-exam-guide/ works through the same verified facts in greater depth.
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What these licenses certify
Article 13 defines the practice of selling or fitting a hearing aid as the selection, adaptation, and sale of a hearing aid, including the testing of hearing by means of an audiometer and other means for the purpose of the sale, and the making of an impression for an ear mold. The licensed Hearing Aid Salesperson does that work day to day: client history, ear examination, audiometric assessment, suitability judgement, instrument selection, fitting and dispensing, follow-up care, and repair. The licensed Hearing Aid Dealer carries the same trade at the senior level — the licensee under whose direction and supervision salespersons and trainees work, and under whose responsibility a place of business operates.
Michigan’s naming runs opposite to most states, and candidates who arrive with another state’s vocabulary misread the route. Here the “salesperson” is not an unlicensed shop assistant and the “dealer” is not a separate trade: the salesperson license is the full entry dispensing license, earned by examination after a licensed traineeship, and the dealer license is the career step earned after two years of licensed salesperson practice. Licensure runs through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing. The former Board of Hearing Aid Dealers was abolished in 1996; examination administration is contracted to PSI.
The examinations at a glance
| Item | Verified position |
|---|---|
| Program | Michigan Hearing Aid Salesperson (the entry dispensing license) and Michigan Hearing Aid Dealer (the senior license), under Article 13 of the Michigan Occupational Code, MCL 339.1301–339.1309 |
| Licensing authority | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing; examinations administered by PSI under contract to the Department |
| Examination — Salesperson | Two state PSI examinations: the Hearing Aid Salesperson Theory Examination (100 scored questions, plus 5–10 non-scored questions; 120 minutes) and the Hearing Aid Salesperson Practical Examination: Ear Impression (60 minutes; one ear impression performed on a live model the candidate provides) |
| Examination — Dealer | One state PSI examination: the Hearing Aid Dealer Theory Examination (65 scored questions, plus 5–10 non-scored questions; 90 minutes). There is no Dealer practical examination |
| Passing standard | As PSI publishes it in the Candidate Information Bulletin: Passing Score – 70% on each Theory Examination, and 80% on the Salesperson Practical Examination (Ear Impression) |
| Eligibility — Salesperson | At least 18 years of age, of good moral character, a graduate of an accredited high school or secondary school, completion of the additional training and education the Department requires, and at least 6 months served as a licensed Hearing Aid Trainee |
| Eligibility — Dealer | Over 18 years of age, of good moral character, a graduate of an accredited high school or secondary school, and 2 years served as a licensed Hearing Aid Salesperson under the direction and supervision of a licensed Hearing Aid Dealer |
| Route | Hearing Aid Trainee license (12 months) → at least 6 months as a trainee → Salesperson Theory and Practical Examinations → Hearing Aid Salesperson license → 2 years as a licensed salesperson → Dealer Theory Examination → Hearing Aid Dealer license |
| Administrator note | PassProfessor is independent and is not affiliated with LARA or PSI. The Michigan examinations are state examinations; they are not the International Hearing Society’s International Licensing Examination (ILE), and passing the ILE does not qualify a Michigan candidate |
Not the trainee, not the dealer: three Michigan licenses that are routinely confused
Michigan’s route has three license documents with similar names, and examination preparation belongs to the middle one. The Hearing Aid Trainee license is the entry document: the Department may grant it to an applicant working for and under the direct supervision of a licensed dealer, it names the supervising dealer, and it is valid for a 12-month period, with a new trainee license available on a fresh application. A trainee works under that named dealer, who must properly accept responsibility for the trainee’s actions — failing to do so is unethical conduct under Article 13. The Hearing Aid Salesperson license is the entry dispensing license itself: after at least six months as a licensed trainee, the candidate passes both PSI examinations and sells and fits hearing aids as an employee of a dealer in their own licensed right. The Hearing Aid Dealer license is the senior tier: it requires two years as a licensed salesperson under a licensed dealer’s direction and supervision, and it is examined by the Theory Examination alone. A candidate who prepares for the Dealer paper first, or who treats the traineeship as the credential, has the Michigan ladder upside down.
What the examinations cover
Michigan examines the salesperson at two registers — knowledge on a computer, craft in person — and the dealer at one.
The Salesperson Theory Examination — 100 scored questions in 120 minutes. PSI’s published content outline weights the paper toward the front of the client encounter. Ear Examination carries 16 questions and Audiometric Assessment of Hearing 18; Evaluation of Client/Patient Suitability for Hearing Instruments carries 11, and Client History and Information 7. The instrument half follows: Selecting and Evaluating Hearing Instruments 10, Fitting and Dispensing Hearing Instruments 10, Orienting and Educating Clients and Follow-Up Care 14, and Repair of Hearing Instruments 6. Sales and Administrative Regulation closes the outline at 8. The statute behind the paper, MCL 339.1308, describes the same territory in the law’s own words: the examination tests knowledge and is a practical demonstration of the candidate’s ability in giving a basic audiometric test, in taking an ear mold impression, and in following the prescribed rules in fitting and in referral for otologic examination.
The Salesperson Practical Examination: Ear Impression — 60 minutes, one impression, 80% to pass. This is a live demonstration of the making of an ear impression, using a model the candidate brings. PSI’s test specifications run the performance as one unbroken sequence: set-up, with hands and equipment sanitized and all items accounted for and in working order; otoscopic examination with proper positioning, handling, and bracing; the characteristics to look for during that examination; the impression procedure itself — material properly mixed and inserted, bracing demonstrated, proper set-up time allowed; the conditions that would prevent taking an impression; explaining to the client the sensations they may experience; safe removal, with an otoscopic examination afterward; and the finished impression judged on its outcome — the canal adequately filled beyond the second bend, no blow-by, the helix and anti-helix areas well filled, and the tragus, anti-tragus, and bowl areas well defined. The candidate provides all materials and a box for retention of the finished impression, and is allowed only one impression.
The Dealer Theory Examination — 65 scored questions in 90 minutes. The senior paper is weighted as a business-and-regulation examination built on top of the trade: Audiometric Assessment of Hearing and Hearing Aid Modifications carries 34 questions, Michigan Regulatory and Statutory Requirements 15, Federal Regulation of the Hearing Aid Industry 10, Contracts 4, and Liability Insurance 2. Its reference list tells the same story, reaching from the Occupational Code into Michigan business and employment law. The dealer candidate is examined as the person who will answer for a practice, not only as the person who fits the instrument.
What makes these examinations demanding
The practical examination is the narrow gate, for three reasons PSI publishes openly. First, there is exactly one attempt inside the sitting: the candidate makes a single impression, and the finished piece — its fill past the second bend, its definition of the helix, tragus, and bowl — is the score. Second, the passing standard PSI publishes for the practical, 80%, is higher than the 70% published for either theory paper. Third, the performance is judged on safety mechanics that habit hides: bracing, in PSI’s published standard, means the hand bracing the model’s head is also in contact with the piece of equipment being inserted into the ear, and the examiner may stop the demonstration if improper procedures, materials, or equipment may cause injury or discomfort to the model — an ear infection or a canal occlusion, which the otoscopic examination should have caught, can end the sitting before the impression begins.
The theory paper’s demand is breadth at pace: 100 scored questions in 120 minutes, spanning ear examination and audiometry through repair and sales regulation, with the follow-up care block — orienting and educating clients — weighted nearly as heavily as audiometric assessment itself. And the route itself is a demand: nothing can be examined early. The salesperson examinations sit behind at least six months of licensed traineeship under a named dealer, and the dealer examination behind two full years of licensed salesperson practice, so study, supervision, and calendar must be planned as one sequence.
The route, in order
Step one — the trainee license. The applicant goes to work for and under the direct supervision of a licensed Hearing Aid Dealer; the Department grants a Hearing Aid Trainee license naming that dealer, valid for 12 months. Step two — at least six months as a licensed trainee, completing the additional training and education the Department requires, at age 18 or older, of good moral character, with a diploma from an accredited high school or secondary school. Step three — apply to the Department for licensure and receive the authorization to test; only the State of Michigan determines eligibility, and PSI registers only authorized candidates. Step four — the two salesperson examinations: register with PSI, pay at registration, and schedule the Theory Examination and the Practical Examination (Ear Impression) — in either order, because PSI states expressly that the written examination need not be taken before the practical — bringing the candidate’s own model, materials, and the signed Model Certification and Waiver to the practical sitting. PSI notifies the Department electronically when both are passed. Step five — the Hearing Aid Salesperson license issues, and the licensee sells and fits as an employee of a dealer. Step six — the dealer step: after two years as a licensed salesperson under a licensed dealer’s direction and supervision, the candidate applies again, passes the Dealer Theory Examination, and receives the Hearing Aid Dealer license. Two statutory alternatives belong to the dealer tier only: the Department may accept the National Hearing Aid Society basic home study course in place of the dealer written examination, or waive that examination for an applicant who passed a substantially equal examination given by another state’s official hearing aid examining board. No equivalent substitution is written for the salesperson examinations.
Staying licensed: the working licenses
A Michigan hearing aid license is held inside Article 13’s conduct frame, and the frame is specific. Article 13 defines unethical conduct by name: selling a hearing aid to be used by a person 16 years of age or younger without an otologic examination and approval by a physician and an audiologic evaluation and recommendation; canvassing house to house or place to place of business, in person or by agent, without prior referral or request; failing to properly and reasonably accept responsibility for the actions of a licensed trainee; and offering or paying money or anything of value to an audiologist, otologist, physician, clinic, or similar medical person or institution as consideration for a referral. A person who commits an act of unethical conduct, or of gross ignorance or inefficiency in the sale or fitting of a hearing aid, is subject to the penalties of Article 6. The business structure is regulated with the licensee: a person may sell hearing aids at retail without themselves holding a license only if they employ only licensed dealers and salespersons in the direct sale and fitting, file an annual list of those licensees with the Department, and maintain an actual, established physical place of business in Michigan, with each branch office under the personal direct supervision of a qualified dealer or salesperson. The examinations are the entrance to that system, not the end of it.
What the PassProfessor program will cover
Built to Michigan’s own examination set, examination by examination. The program is organised on PSI’s published outlines as PSI publishes them: the Salesperson Theory Examination at its nine topic weights, the Salesperson Practical Examination taught as the performed, single-impression demonstration PSI specifies — set-up, otoscopy, bracing, impression, removal, finished-piece judgement — and the Dealer Theory Examination at its five topic weights for the salesperson planning the senior step. Nothing in the program is built to the ILE, because Michigan does not examine by the ILE.
The ladder, taught as part of the subject. Michigan candidates lose time to sequence and naming more than to content: a traineeship not yet at six months, a model who turns out to be ineligible, a dealer application filed before the two salesperson years are complete. The program teaches the trainee → salesperson → dealer sequence as Article 13 and the PSI bulletin publish it, so applications, authorizations, and sittings are planned as one timeline.
Independence, stated plainly. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider, not affiliated with the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs or with PSI. This program is not a Department course, confers no license, and satisfies no traineeship or experience requirement; LARA alone licenses, and candidates apply and test through the Department and PSI.
Tell me when enrollment opens. The Michigan Hearing Aid Salesperson and Hearing Aid Dealer program is in the works as PassProfessor expands its catalog of health examination preparation, and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program. No date is promised, because the program will open when it meets the standard described above, not before.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses hearing aid salespersons and dealers in Michigan?
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Professional Licensing, under Article 13 of the Occupational Code, MCL 339.1301–339.1309. The examinations are administered by PSI. The former Board of Hearing Aid Dealers was abolished in 1996; licensure runs through the Department.
Which Michigan license do I need first to sell and fit hearing aids?
The Hearing Aid Salesperson license. It is the entry dispensing license: its holder sells and fits hearing aids as an employee of a hearing aid dealer. The Hearing Aid Dealer license is the senior license above it.
Does Michigan use the International Licensing Examination (ILE)?
No. Michigan’s examinations are state-specific PSI examinations — the Salesperson Theory Examination, the Salesperson Practical Examination (Ear Impression), and the Dealer Theory Examination. Passing the ILE does not qualify a Michigan candidate.
What must I do before the salesperson examinations?
Serve at least 6 months as a licensed Hearing Aid Trainee, working for and under the direct supervision of a named licensed dealer, and meet the salesperson qualifications: at least 18 years of age, good moral character, graduation from an accredited high school or secondary school, and any additional training and education the Department requires. You then apply to the Department and receive an authorization to test before registering with PSI.
How many questions are on the theory examinations, and what passes?
The Salesperson Theory Examination has 100 scored questions (plus 5–10 non-scored questions) in 120 minutes; the Dealer Theory Examination has 65 scored questions (plus 5–10 non-scored questions) in 90 minutes. PSI publishes the passing score for each theory examination as 70%.
What does the practical examination involve, and what passes?
One ear impression, performed in 60 minutes on a live model you provide, with your own materials. PSI publishes its passing score as 80%. The model must be at least 18, must sign the Model Certification and Waiver, and must not be a current licensee or have been licensed within the past 3 years — if the model is found to be, the examination is invalidated.
Must I pass the theory examination before taking the practical?
No. PSI states that you do not need to take the written examination before the practical examination; the two may be scheduled in either order once the Department has authorized you to test.
What does the Hearing Aid Dealer license require?
Two years served as a licensed Hearing Aid Salesperson under the direction and supervision of a licensed Hearing Aid Dealer, plus the dealer qualifications (over 18, good moral character, accredited high school graduation) and passing the Dealer Theory Examination. The Department may instead accept the National Hearing Aid Society basic home study course in place of the dealer written examination, or waive it for a substantially equal out-of-state examination — those alternatives are written for the dealer tier.
How long is the trainee license valid?
A trainee license is valid for a 12-month period and names the licensed dealer the trainee works for and under. A new trainee license may be issued on a fresh application, and a trainee license may be transferred on application.
Is PassProfessor affiliated with LARA or PSI?
No. PassProfessor is an independent preparation provider. LARA alone licenses, and PSI administers the examinations under contract to the Department.
When does enrollment open?
The program is in the works and enrollment is not yet open. Leave an email address on this page and PassProfessor will write to you when the program is ready — and only about this program.