Morningness-Eveningness Assessment
( Based on Horne JA & Östberg O 1976)
For each question, note down the score (in square brackets) next to the answer that best describes you in recent weeks. Don't skip any questions. You should end up with a list of numbers (eg 4,3,2,2,4 etc) to add up.
1. About what time would you get up if you didn't have to teach and were entirely free to plan your day?
[5] 05:00–06:30 [4] 06:30–07:45 [3] 07:45–09:45 [2] 09:45–11:00 [1] 11:00–12:00
2. About what time would you go to bed if you were entirely free to plan your evening?
[5] 20:00–21:00 [4] 21:00–22:15 [3] 22:15–00:30 [2] 00:30–01:45 [1] 01:45–03:00
3. If you usually have to get up at a specific time in the morning, how much do you depend on an alarm clock?
[4] Not at all [3] Slightly [2] Quite a bit [1] Very much
4. How easy do you find it to get up in the morning on a school-day?
[1] Very difficult [2] Slightly difficult [3] Fairly easy [4] Very easy
5. How alert do you feel during the first half hour after you wake up in the morning?
[1] Not at all alert [2] Slightly alert [3] Fairly alert [4] Very alert
6. How hungry do you feel during the first half hour after you wake up?
[1] Not at all hungry [2] Slightly hungry [3] Hungry [4] Very hungry
7. During the first half hour after you wake up in the morning, how do you feel?
[1] Very tired [2] Fairly tired [3] Fairly refreshed [4] Very refreshed
8. If you had no commitments the next day, what time would you go to bed compared to your usual bedtime?
[4] Same time [3] Less that 1 hour later [2] 1-2 hours later [1] More than 2 hours later
9. You have decided to do some sport, and a match is scheduled at 07:00 (in the morning). Bearing in mind nothing but your own internal clock, how do you think you would perform?
[4] I'd perform close to my best form [3] I'd perform reasonably well
[2] I'd find it quite difficult to meet my usual standards [1] I would find it very difficult
10. At approximately what time in the evening do you feel tired and in real need of sleep?
[5] 20:00–21:00 [4] 21:00–22:15 [3] 22:15–00:45 [2] 00:45–02:00 [1] 02:00–03:00
11. You want to be at your best for a tough two-hour mental test – and you can choose when to take the test. Considering only your internal clock, when would you start the test?
[6] 08:00 [4] 11:00 [2] 15:00 [0] 19:00
12. If you went to bed at 23:00, how tired would you be?
[0] Not at all tired [2] A little tired [3] Fairly tired [5] Very tired
13. For some reason you go 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 do?
[4] Wake up at usual time, and won't even doze [3] Wake up at usual time but doze a little
[2] Wake up at usual time, but fall asleep again [1] Will not wake up until later than usual
14. One night (during school holidays) you have to be awake between 04:00 and 06:00 to make a phone call. You have no time commitments the next day. Which arrangement would suit you best?
[1] Would not go to bed until after the phone call [2] Would take a nap before and sleep after
[3] Would take a good sleep before and nap after [4] Would sleep only before the phone call
15. You have two hours of hard physical work to do, which you can do at any time. Based only your internal clock, which of the following times would you choose?
[4] 08:00-10:00 [3] 11:00-13:00 [2] 15:00-17:00 [1] 19:00-21:00
16. You have decided to do regular physical exercise – one hour twice a week. The only sessions available are 22:00-23:00. Based only on your internal clock, how well do you think you would perform?
[1] I'd perform close to my best form [2] I'd perform reasonably well
[3] I'd find it quite difficult to meet my usual standards [4] I would find it very difficult
17. Imagine you only work five hours a day (including preparation, admin, and breaks) and that you can choose your working hours; you love your job, but you are paid solely based on how well you teach each day. Ignoring your students' needs and based only on your internal clock, at what time would you choose to start work?
[5] 5 hours starting between 04:00 and 08:00 [4] 5 hours starting between 08:00 and 09:00
[3] 5 hours starting between 09:00 and 14:00 [2] 5 hours starting between 14:00 and 17:00
[1] 5 hours starting between 17:00 and 04:00
18. At about what time of day do you usually feel your best?
[5] 05:00-08:00 [4] 08:00-10:00 [3] 10:00-17:00 [2] 17:00-22:00 [1] 22:00-05:00
19. You sometimes hear about 'morning people' and 'evening people'; Which do you consider yourself to be?
[6] Definitely a morning person [4] Rather more a morning person
[2] Rather more an evening person [1] Definitely an evening person
Interpreting and Using your Score
Add up the point scores you wrote down (the numbers in the square brackets) – this is your morningness-eveningness score. Your score could range from 16-86. Scores of 41 and below indicate evening types. Scores of 59 and above indicate morning types.
Now, the logical question to ask at this point is 'so what?'. Most of us are reasonably aware of our preferences, and it shouldn't come as an enormous surprise to us that we don't like getting up in the morning, or that we struggle to stay up till midnight.
The intention is that we put this information to some use, and this is explained in the following pages.
Before reaching any conclusions, consider how straightforward – or not – the questionnaire was. For example, if you were unsure about your preferences, or felt your preferences varied, or felt your answers were unrepresentative of your true needs... if you're not sure about your answers, you should be equally tentative about the accuracy of the conclusions. Use your common sense.