Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30)
How do you relate to your own thinking?
The MCQ-30 assesses individual differences in metacognitive beliefs across five dimensions: cognitive confidence, positive beliefs about worry, cognitive self-consciousness, negative beliefs about uncontrollability and danger, and beliefs about need to control thoughts. Based on Wells & Cartwright-Hatton (2004), with 30 items on a 4-point scale. Takes about 8 minutes. The result shows your tendency on each metacognitive dimension, helping identify thinking patterns that may be linked to anxiety or obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
What Is Metacognition?
Metacognition refers to your awareness, control, and regulation of your own thinking processes — simply put, "thinking about thinking."
Psychologist Wells' Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model suggests that people's beliefs and attitudes about their thinking (not the content of thoughts per se) are key to why psychological distress persists.
The Five Dimensions
| Dimension | Description |
|---|---|
| Cognitive Confidence | Trust in your own memory and attention |
| Positive Beliefs | Believing worry is beneficial and helps coping |
| Cognitive Self-Consciousness | Excessive focus on your own thought processes |
| Uncontrollability & Danger | Believing worry is uncontrollable and harmful |
| Need to Control Thoughts | Believing certain thoughts must be suppressed |
Reliability & Validity
- Cronbach's α = 0.72–0.93 (per subscale)
- Significantly correlated with generalized anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms
- Chinese version shows good psychometric properties (Zhang et al., 2020)
Disclaimer
This test is for self-understanding and professional reference only. It does not constitute a clinical diagnosis. If your worrying or anxiety significantly interferes with daily life, please consult a mental health professional.
Scoring Guide
Each of the 5 subscales is scored independently (6 items each), with scores ranging from 6 to 24. Higher scores indicate a stronger tendency on that metacognitive dimension. Note: MCQ-30 is not a diagnostic tool; differences between dimensions are more informative than any single absolute score.Result Interpretation
After completing the 30 questions, you'll receive an immediate, detailed report with:
- Your score — calculated automatically based on your responses
- Score interpretation — what your score means in practical terms
- Dimension breakdown — separate scores for each sub-scale
- Context — how your results compare to general population norms where available
All results are displayed on screen. No account or login needed.