Are you a morning person or an evening person?
"Night-owl" or "early-bird": test your chronotype.
The Horne and Östberg questionnaire, featured in the book Your Optimal Health (Hardie Grant ed.), allows for the study of "chronotypes" or circadian rhythms.
Administration
A self-report, paper-and-pencil measure, the scale requires between 10 and 15 min for completion.
Instructions:
Read each question carefully before answering.
Answer all questions.
Answer the questions in order.
Answer each question independently. Do not go back to check or change your answers.
For multiple-choice questions, mark a cross next to only one answer. For scales, place a cross at the appropriate point.
Answer as honestly as possible. Your results will remain confidential.
You may add comments in the space provided under each question if necessary.
You can take the test here , or below.
Instructions
Please read each question very carefully before answering.
Answer ALL questions.
Answer questions in numerical order.
Each question should be answered independently of others. Do NOT go back and check your answers.
For each question, select ONE answer only. For scale-based questions, mark the point that best corresponds to your feeling.
Please answer as honestly as possible. Your results will remain strictly confidential.
The Questionnaire
1. Considering only your own “feeling best” rhythm, at what time would you get up if you were entirely free to plan your day?
5:00 - 6:30 AM (5 points)
6:30 - 7:45 AM (4 points)
7:45 - 9:45 AM (3 points)
9:45 - 11:00 AM (2 points)
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (1 point)
2. Considering only your own “feeling best” rhythm, at what time would you go to bed if you were entirely free to plan your evening?
8:00 - 9:00 PM (5 points)
9:00 - 10:15 PM (4 points)
10:15 PM - 12:30 AM (3 points)
12:30 - 1:45 AM (2 points)
1:45 - 3:00 AM (1 point)
3. If there is a specific time at which you have to get up in the morning, to what extent are you dependent on being woken up by an alarm clock?
Not at all dependent (4 points)
Slightly dependent (3 points)
Fairly dependent (2 points)
Very dependent (1 point)
4. Assuming adequate environmental conditions, how easy do you find getting up in the mornings?
Not at all easy (1 point)
Not very easy (2 points)
Fairly easy (3 points)
Very easy (4 points)
5. How alert do you feel during the first half hour after having woken in the mornings?
Not at all alert (1 point)
Slightly alert (2 points)
Fairly alert (3 points)
Very alert (4 points)
6. How is your appetite during the first half-hour after having woken in the mornings?
Very poor (1 point)
Fairly poor (2 points)
Fairly good (3 points)
Very good (4 points)
7. During the first half-hour after having woken in the morning, how tired do you feel?
Very tired (1 point)
Fairly tired (2 points)
Fairly refreshed (3 points)
Very refreshed (4 points)
8. When you have no commitments the next day, at what time do you go to bed compared to your usual bedtime?
Seldom or never later (4 points)
Less than one hour later (3 points)
1-2 hours later (2 points)
More than two hours later (1 point)
9. You have decided to engage in some physical exercise. A friend suggests that you do this for one hour twice a week between 7:00-8:00 AM. Bearing in mind only your own “feeling best” rhythm, how do you think you would perform?
Would be on good form (4 points)
Would be on reasonable form (3 points)
Would find it difficult (2 points)
Would find it very difficult (1 point)
10. At what time in the evening do you feel tired and as a result in need of sleep?
8:00 - 9:00 PM (5 points)
9:00 - 10:15 PM (4 points)
10:15 PM - 12:45 AM (3 points)
12:45 - 2:00 AM (2 points)
2:00 - 3:00 AM (1 point)
11. You wish to be at your peak performance for a test which you know is going to be mentally exhausting and lasting for two hours. If you were entirely free to plan your day, which ONE of these four testing times would you choose?
8:00 - 10:00 AM (6 points)
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (4 points)
3:00 - 5:00 PM (2 points)
7:00 - 9:00 PM (0 points)
12. If you went to bed at 11:00 PM, at what level of tiredness would you be?
Not at all tired (0 points)
A little tired (2 points)
Fairly tired (3 points)
Very tired (5 points)
13. For some reason you have gone to bed several hours later than usual, but there is no need to get up at any particular time the next morning. Which ONE of the following are you most likely to experience?
Will wake up at usual time and will NOT fall asleep (4 points)
Will wake up at usual time and will doze thereafter (3 points)
Will wake up at usual time but will fall asleep again (2 points)
Will NOT wake up until later than usual (1 point)
14. One night you have to remain awake between 4:00-6:00 AM for a night watch. You have no commitments the next day. Which ONE of these alternatives suits you best?
Would NOT go to bed until watch was over (1 point)
Would take a nap before and sleep after (2 points)
Would take a good sleep before and nap after (3 points)
Would take ALL sleep before watch (4 points)
+3
15. You have to do two hours of hard physical work. If you were entirely free to plan your day, which ONE of these times would you choose?
8:00 - 10:00 AM (4 points)
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM (3 points)
3:00 - 5:00 PM (2 points)
7:00 - 9:00 PM (1 point)
16. You have decided to engage in hard physical exercise. A friend suggests that you do this for one hour twice a week between 10:00-11:00 PM. How well do you think you would perform?
Would be on good form (1 point)
Would be on reasonable form (2 points)
Would find it difficult (3 points)
Would find it very difficult (4 points)
17. Suppose that you can choose your own work hours (assume a 5-hour workday). Which FIVE CONSECUTIVE HOURS would you select?
5 hours starting between 4:00 AM and 8:00 AM (5 points)
5 hours starting between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM (4 points)
5 hours starting between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM (3 points)
5 hours starting between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM (2 points)
5 hours starting between 5:00 PM and 4:00 AM (1 point)
18. At what time of the day do you think that you reach your “feeling best” peak?
5:00 AM - 8:00 AM (5 points)
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM (4 points)
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (3 points)
5:00 PM - 10:00 PM (2 points)
10:00 PM - 5:00 AM (1 point)
19. One hears about “morning” and “evening” types of people. Which ONE of these types do you consider yourself to be?
Definitely a “morning” type (6 points)
Rather more a “morning” than an evening type (4 points)
Rather more an “evening” than a “morning” type (2 points)
Definitely an “evening” type (0 points)
Scoring and Interpretation
To obtain your global score, total the points from all 19 items.
70–86: Definitely morning type
59–69: Moderately morning type
42–58: Neither type (Intermediate)
31–41: Moderately evening type
16–30: Definitely evening type
Note: Research suggests these cutoffs may vary slightly based on your geographic region and local circadian variations.
Horne, J. A., & Östberg, O. (1976). A self-assessment questionnaire to determine morningness-eveningness in human circadian rhythms. International Journal of Chronobiology, 4 , 97–110.
Neither type 🫠 helpful….