MCTQ

The questionnaire

The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) was developed by Roenneberg et al. and has been in use since 2000 (Roenneberg et al. 2003, JBR). Since then, the MCTQ has been progressively optimised. It consists of a core module that is required to determine chronotype and several additional, optional modules on personal data, light exposure, substance use, etc. The most recent version of the MCTQ (both core and complete with all modules) can be downloaded below. Please request permission for use by emailing Till Roenneberg (till.roenneberg(at)med.uni-muenchen.de).

The evaluation

The MCTQ estimates chronotype based on the midpoint between sleep onset and offset on work-free days (midsleep on free days: MSF), corrected for “oversleep” due to the sleep debt that individuals accumulate over the workweek (MSFsc). This MCTQ-proxy for chronotype is based on the assumption that sleep timing on work-free days is highly influenced by the circadian clock. Therefore, chronotype (MSFsc) should only be calculated when people do not use an alarm clock to wake up on work-free days.

adapted from: Roenneberg et al. 2015, Methods Enzymol

A list of all variables assessed by the MCTQ and instructions for their computation can be downloaded below.

Evaluation service

We meanwhile offer a service that involves entering your data in our database whereafter you will receive a full evaluation from us. You can view and complete an agreement that settles this by clicking the link http://thewep.org/en/wep_project_agreement.html The entered data belongs entirely to you. They will be marked as a WeP-Project and will not be used for our analyses, except for very general analyses such as geographical distributions or how many people use an alarm clock. For funding our service and to guarantee future support, we ask a fee. Prices are listed in the WeP Project Agreement.

Languages

The MCTQ has been translated to many other languages. These language versions will gradually become available on this site.

Key MCTQ literature

Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. J Biol Rhythms, 18(1), 80-90.

- the very beginning, i.e. the 1st (“dinosaur”) version of the MCTQ

Wittmann, M., Dinich, J., Merrow, M., & Roenneberg, T. (2006). Social jetlag: Misalignment of biological and social time. Chronobiol Int, 23(1-2), 497-509.

- the concept of social jetlag

Roenneberg, T., Kuehnle, T., Juda, M., Kantermann, T., Allebrandt, K., Gordijn, M., et al. (2007). Epidemiology of the human circadian clock. Sleep Med Rev, 11(6), 429-438. 

- summary of the basic MCTQ findings up to 2007, explanation of MSF vs. MSFsc

Roenneberg, T., Allebrandt, K. V., Merrow, M., & Vetter, C. (2012). Social jetlag and obesity. Current Biology, 22(10), 939-943. 

- MCTQ variable overview and evaluation instructions in supplement

Roenneberg, T. (2012). What is chronotype? Sleep and Biological Rhythms, 10(2), 75-76.

 - comprehensive explanation of the concept of MCTQ-derived chronotype

Juda, M., Vetter, C., & Roenneberg, T. (2013). The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire for Shift-Workers (MCTQShift). J Biol Rhythms, 28(2), 130-140.

- the adaptation of the MCTQ for use with shift workers & instructions for its evaluation

Roenneberg, T., Keller, L. K., Fischer, D., Matera, J. L., Vetter, C., & Winnebeck, E. C. (2015). Human activity and rest in situ. Methods Enzymol, 552, 257-283. 

- most recent summary of the MCTQ, its use, aims and findings