Emotional intelligence tests (or EQ tests) are tools that can use to become more self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses in being able to perceive, understand and manage your own emotions.
With the completion of an EQ test, you'll be able to use the feedback it provides to determine where you could improve your emotional intelligence skills for a successful life, and then find the right support you need to make that happen.
Three of the most well-known EQ tests that have a solid history of research and data are:
The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) The EQ-i was developed to assess the Bar-On model of emotional intelligence, created by Dr. Reuven Bar-On. It consists of a self-report on 133 items and provides the participant with an overall EQ score, as well as individual scores related to 15 different sub-scales measuring different aspects of emotional intelligence.
The five areas the test covers are:
Intra-personal - assessing your self-awareness and self-expression
Inter-personal - the participant's ability to interact well and get along with others.
Adaptability - measuring one's ability to see reality for what it is and be flexible, with the ability to solve problems effectively.
Stress management - the ability to regulate and manage emotions in order to better handle stressful situations
General mood - the ability to be positive and look on the brighter side of life.
2.The Genos Emotional Intelligence Inventory (Genos EI) This test is designed to measure the consistency of emotionally intelligent behaviour in the workplace, and is a 360-degree assessment, meaning it utilizes multiple perspectives from other people who are engaged with the participant in the workplace, including their colleagues, subordinates,and managers.
It was developed by Dr Benjamin Palmer and Professor Con Stough from Swinburne University. The 7 key areas measured in this test include:
Emotional Self-Awareness - the skill of perceiving and understanding your own emotions.
Emotional Expression - the skill of effectively expressing your own emotions
Emotional Awareness of Others - the skill of perceiving and understanding other people's emotions.
Emotional Reasoning - the skill of being able to use emotional information in making decisions.
Emotional Self-Management - the skill of being able to manage your own emotions and impulses.
Emotional Management of Others - the skill of influencing the moods and emotions of others.
Emotional Self Control - the skill of effectively controlling the expression of strong emotions and think clearly in stressful situations.
3.The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) This test is like an IQ test for emotions. The psychologists who developed the test define emotional intelligence as the ability to reason with, and about emotions. The test is designed to measure four different abilities:
Perceiving Emotions - the ability to recognize how you and those around you are feeling.
Using Emotions- the ability to generate emotions, and to use emotions in tasks such as problem-solving and creativity.
Managing Emotions- the ability to intelligently integrate emotions in yourself and others to use effective strategies aimed at achieving a positive outcome for both parties.
It is a performance-based test, meaning that tools utilized include the participant's response to pictures, multiple choice selections to emotional-based scenarios, and defining emotional vocabulary.
Any EQ measurement or score resulting from one of these EQ tests is not a static trait but can improve as you work toward greater self-awareness and increased emotional intelligence. Many people will often have a good idea generally of whether they would consider themselves to have high EQ, but it can often be tricky to discern the specific aspects of emotional intelligence where an individual's strengths lie. This is where these well-researched EQ tests can be hugely beneficial. They provide you with this insight and the opportunity to learn more about what traits you might want to work on.
