MSCEIT test preparation guide & example test questions

MSCEIT is probably the most popular Emotional Intelligence test used by a growing list of organisations and universities to select candidates.

What is the MSCEIT Emotional Intelligence test?

The MSCEIT test was developed by Mayer, Salovey and Caruso as a measurement of people’s emotional intelligence using 8 distinctive aspects of your emotional intelligence.

• Ability to identify emotions in facial expressions
• Ability to understand use emotions to facilitate behaviour in others
• Ability to identify people's emotions based on their behaviour
• Ability to understand how actions facilitate emotions in others and us
• Ability to identify types of emotions when looking at objects.
• Ability to associate emotions with colours, taste and descriptions.
• Ability to understand how to use emotions to facilitate interactions/relationships with others
• Ability to understand the structure of different emotions.

The MSCEIT test is not timed. This means that there is no timer or any time limit that forces you to work fast.

The MSCEIT test has 144 test questions and you get a separate score on each section of the test.

What is a MSCEIT Emotional Intelligence test question?

The MSCEIT test has a wide range of test questions type or style. In some you will be given faces and you will need to select the correct emotion and level of intensity of this emotion. In other questions, you will be given scenarios and be asked to select the most appropriate response. You will also be shown photos of objects and sceneries and be asked to identify the emotion/s that these photos are likely to elicit in people.

Let's review the following example test question for one of MSCEIT test’s sections:

Joan felt stressed, and became a bit anxious when she thought about all the work she needed to do. When her manager brought her an additional project, she felt ____.  (Select the best choice.)

a) Overwhelmed

b) Depressed

c) Ashamed

d) Self-conscious

e) Jittery

The correct answer is overwhelmed. Joan felt stressed before her manager brought her more work. The additional work given to her when she already was feeling under stress only increased the feeling and made her overwhelmed.

Another style of test questions in the MSCEIT is:

How much is each feeling below expressed in this picture?

Happy 1-5

Sad 1-5

Fear 1-5

Anger 1-5

Disgust 1-5

Here you need to analyse the content and colours to identify the correct emotions and the intensity of each emotion on a scale of 1 to 5.

Another example for a test question in the MSCEIT is:

How much is each feeling in the list below expressed by this face?

Happiness (1-5)

Sadness (1-5)

Fear (1-5)

Anger (1-5)

Disgust (1-5)

Here you need to analyse the facial expression to identify the correct emotion and the intensity of the emotion on a scale of 1 to 5.

The Challenges to complete the MSCEIT test:

Many job applicants find the MSCEIT test very challenging due to the following reasons: 

• The test questions are very different from what people are used to.
• The test asks you to identify emotions using facial expressions and photos of sceneries, which is a task that people feel unequipped to complete.   
• The test questions require people to deal with things outside their comfort zone.

How we get you the best outcome on your MSCEIT Emotional Intelligence test: 

Our senior psychometricins have prepared a full preparation program for the MSCEIT Emotional Intelligence test. This program includes:

• Personal tutoring sessions (Face-to-face or Skype live) including practice test questions.
• Delivered by experienced Australian psychometricians.
• Many practice MSCEIT test questions with expert real-time feedback.
• Special practical material and special information to help you to successfully complete the 8 sections of the MSCEIT test. 
• Customised to your pace of learning to ensure you achieve your best in your real MSCEIT test.