Character questionnaires, y/n?

Do you use them at all? Are they helpful?
Do you prefer answering them as your character, or answering them about your character?
(i.e. "How would you describe your childhood?" vs. "How would this character describe their childhood?")

I don't use them. I tried to, but I find it very longwinded and boring. I like playing the forum games where you answer in character, and I often just write scenes or converastions between the characters to help with development. Many of the things on the character development sheets are completely irrelevant. I like to get to know my characters like I'd get to know people I meet - observing them in situations or interracting in scenes, rather than just listing questions. I find I get more natural development.

I look at them to make sure I don't forget something and write my characters. I almost always write in third person, but I'll write diaries/stories and the like from their perspective, just to get a feel.

(mumble mumble) years ago I played FRP games, liking especially the "Hero" system which can be adapted to any genre. I now use the character creation of "Hero" to round off my main characters and keep their skills limited. It's more fun if the MMC tries to romance the FMC and fumbles. That can add a plot twist while he tries to recover and try to get her to fall in love with him again.

I'm trying them now for SF. Yes, it's long and boring. Frankly, I doubt I'll finish them before the month starts. Still, I'm glad I'm doing one so I can cement some ideas. It's easier to analyze a written fact than a half baked idea, and it's far easier than scanning through notebooks/files to find an obscure line about a character.

I use them but I see them more as sketches than facts. They help me to get a basic idea of my character but I'm not very faithful to them. It's just help to let the character starting to grow, the real development takes place in my head and as I'm writing the story.

I think they're really useful to get to know my characters better. I use the ones like 'What music does your character listen to?', not addressing me as the character *that would be wierd*

Whenever I try one of them I always quit right at the first question mostly.
Because meh, favourite music, really? For a medieval style character?
It doesn't help me if I do some kind of character sheet for them. What really helps me is just writing down how they are, without too many standardized things. None of that "Hobbies: asdf" stuff. Everything's in full sentences except for age and name.
Since I never really think about how tall my characters are this could sometimes turn out to be tricky - but I can imagine who's taller than who so it's alright again. :D

Searching 'character questionairre for writers' on google resulted in a few interesting ones- I've never done anything like this except for RP, but I think it will help widen my characters. Even if you don't use all the information the questions make you think about how your character would react or what your character does, and I think it will help with their overall development.

I was considering creating one myself. The method usually works for me, but sometimes certain questions are unnecessary. Do you think it would work better if I created it for a single genre?

I've used them for fun. Usually when I'm really bored, and already have my character developed, yet feel like procrastinating on the actual writing.
But I really don't find them at all useful. Half the questions asked I get bored with and skip. Either because I don't need to know, or I just don't feel like writing it down because it never becomes important. Usually they're just too long and my attention span just sort of evaporates before I finish them.
Every now and then I'll discover one that is more interesting, but usually it's not the way I figure out my character. I find that I really don't get to know my character until I start writing them.

I actually think questionnaires suited towards specific genres might be more helpful. That way you wouldn't have to sift through questions that don't relate to the character or plot.