Emotional Intelligence test preparation guide & example test questions

As part of your selection to a growing list of organisations you will be asked to complete an Emotional Intelligence test.

What is an Emotional Intelligence test?

An Emotional Intelligence test typically measures a wide range of aspects of emotional intelligence to be able to predict your ability to understand and manage your emotions as well as predict others' emotional responses.

It is a non timed test that includes a wide range of test questions. 

One of the most popular and credible Emotional Intelligence tests is the MSCEIT that has 144 test questions.

What is an Emotional Intelligence test question?

As the Emotional Intelligence test needs to measure a wide range of emotional intelligence aspects, the test questions vary based on what component of emotional intelligence they measure.

Most emotional Intelligence tests measure several or all types of the following emotional intelligence components:

1. Ability to identify emotions in facial expressions
2. Ability to understand use emotions to facilitate behaviour in others
3. Ability to identify people's emotions based on their behaviour
4. Ability to understand how actions facilitate emotions in others and us
5. Ability to identify types of emotions when looking at objects.
6. Ability to understand how to use emotions to facilitate interactions/relationships with others
7. Ability to understand the structure of different emotions.

Let's review the following Emotional Intelligence example test question:

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 example for an emotional intelligence test question 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 style of emotional intelligence test questions focuses on facial expressions:

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 Challenge with Emotional Intelligence tests:

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

• The test questions are very different from what you are used to.
• The test requires you to be very familiar with all aspects of emotional intelligence such as identify people's emotions based on facial expressions and identify emotions in images of scenery (trees, river etc), objects and abstract drawings. 
• The test questions require people to deal with things outside their comfort zone.

From our experience,  two of the most challenging tasks in completing an Emotional Intelligence are the ability to recognise emotions in people's facial expressions, the ability to identify emotions expressed in abstract objects or scenery images and the ability to predict people's emotional responses.

How the Institute will assist you to prepare for your Emotional Intelligence test: 

The Institute’s Psychometric test exerts have prepared several full preparation solutions for the Emotional Intelligence test::

Personal Tutoring sessions (Face-to-face or Skype live)

• Delivered by experienced Organisational Psychologists.
• You will be given a practice Emotional Intelligence test and you will receive expert real-time feedback.
• Your expert trainer will teach you everything you need to know about the Emotional Intelligence test including example test questions.
• Prior to your coaching sessions you will be given special practical material and information about the emotional intelligence test 
• Your expert trainer will also identify your areas of strength and weakness