International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(2), ISSN: 2394-9333

www.ijtrd.com
Emotional Intelligence Assessment
1
Matthew N. O. Sadiku, 2Olaniyi D. Olaleye and 3Sarhan M. Musa,
1,3
Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, USA
2
Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs, Texas Southern University, Houston, TX, USA

Abstract: Emotional intelligence (EI) is essentially the capacity

to understand and manage emotion. Importance of EI is
increasingly being recognized and assessed across various
professions. An EI test is an extensive battery of psychological
assessments that can be used to measure EI in business,
workplace, healthcare, education, sports, and healthcare. These
are scientifically developed and validated tests. The purpose of
the present paper is to review the widely-used measures of EI
and how they are used in applied settings.
Keywords: Emotion, Emotional Intelligence, Assessment Of
Emotional Intelligence
I. INTRODUCTION
Humans are predominantly emotional beings. Emotion forms
the basis for our entity and gives meaning to our lives. It is a
fundamental domain of personality. Emotions can provide
essential information to solve daily problems. They alter our
thinking in many ways.
Emotional intelligence (EI) may be simply regarded as the
ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. It refers to
the mental processes involved in the recognition, use, Figure 1: EI is an important component of the whole person
understanding, and management of one’s own and others’ [2].
emotional states to solve problems and regulate behavior. It is
an umbrella term that consists elements such as “soft skills,” II. CONCEPT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
“people skills,” and an ability to cope with the challenges of The concept of emotional intelligence (EI), measured as a set
life. EI is often considered both as an ability and a trait and as of abilities, emerged in the early 1990s as an ability-based
a mixture of both. It is a subset of social intelligence; a set of construct analogous to general intelligence. EI is measured as
mental abilities separate from personality [1]. Researchers and a set of abilities. Although it is a relatively new area in
practitioners have shown interest in emotional intelligence (EI) psychology, it has received a widespread international
over the last decade. attention. It is a type of social intelligence that may be more
Lazarus Long once said, “If it can’t be expressed in figures, important than traditional intelligence. It is a critical soft skill
it is not science; it is opinion.” Therefore, to study emotional for leaders and one of the major missing parts in the success
intelligence scientifically requires measuring it. Over the years, equation. EI aims at complementing the traditional view of
intelligence tests have been developed and used in quantifying intelligence by emphasizing the emotional contributions to
a person’s cognitive ability or their capacity to reason, learn, human behavior.
and think. IQ hardly changes over the lifespan of an individual. Emotional intelligence may be regarded as the ability to
IQ tests have become popular assessments of cognitive understand and to regulate emotions in oneself and in others.
capacity. On the other hand, the emotional quotient (EQ) is a The five elements that characterize emotional intelligence were
flexible group of skills, which can be learned and acquired. suggested by Daniel Goleman, an American psychologist who
Someone has well said that: helped to popularize emotional intelligence [4].
IQ + EQ = SUCCESS 1. Self-Awareness: You must understand your strengths
As shown Figure 1, EI or EQ is an important component of the and weaknesses. To increase self-awareness, one must
whole person [2]. Therefore, an EI test is developed and learn about mindfulness, which entails focusing on the
administered differently. Various EI tests have been developed present moment.
by psychologists and other researchers to assess the actual 2. Self-Regulation: This is the ability to stay focused
emotional ability of an individual just as an IQ test measures and think clearly even when experiencing powerful
cognitive ability [3]. emotions. It involves staying in control.
3. Motivation: This is an ability to pursue goals with
energy and persistence. It requires focusing on what
really matters to you.
4. Empathy: This is the ability to sense, understand, and
respond to what other people are feeling. It is
regarded to be a multidimensional concept that has
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 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(2), ISSN: 2394-9333
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moral, cognitive, emotive, and behavioral 1.The MSCEIT: This is Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional
components. Intelligence Test. It is an ability-based (or performance-
5. Social Skills: These involve the ability to manage, based), comprehensive test of EI. It is regarded as an ability
influence, and inspire emotions in others. Social model of EI because of its capability to measure one’s capacity
skills facilitate interaction and communication with to reason with emotional content. This is most widely used
others. measure of ability EI. It is an update (a shortened and
improved version) of the Multifactor Emotional Intelligence
Thus, emotional intelligence is a combination of self-
Scale (MEIS) that was first developed in 1999. The MSCEIT is
awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social
a 141-scale developed in 203 to measure the four key branches
skills, as shown in Figure 2 [5].
(or facets) of EI: (1) Perceiving Emotions, (2) Emotional
Facilitation, (3) Understanding Emotions, and (4) Managing
Emotions. Each of these four branches is measured in the
MSCEIT using two tasks [2]. MSCEIT branches have a
standardized mean of 50, while total scores on all tests are
expressed as a standardized mean of 100. MSCEIT is a highly
commercialized test and expensive. The test is also relatively
long (141 items) and time consuming to complete (30–45 min).
Figure 3 shows the subscales of the MSCEIT [8].

Figure 2: Five components of emotional intelligence [5].

Different forms of EI have emerged: trait, ability, and
mixed. To incorporate EI measures into your work, you should
utilize a trait, ability or mixed measure of EI. Measures based
on ability EI utilize questions/items comparable to those found Figure 3: The subscales of the MSCEIT [8].
in IQ tests. The measures give a good indication of individuals'
ability to understand emotions and how they work.
Ability-based measures of EI can be applied to education,
healthcare, and workplace. A popular example of ability
measure of EI is the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional
Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Measures based on trait EI utilize
self-report items to measure EI. Trait EI measures tend to
measure typical actual behaviors rather than maximal
performance. Measures based on mixed EI refers to
questionnaires that measure a combination of traits, social
skills, and competencies. In this case, one chooses to use both
ability and trait measures [6]. Examples of mixed EI
instruments include the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i),
the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSREIT),
and the Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI). Figure 4: Subscales of the EQ-I [8].
III. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TESTS 2. Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i): This defines
EI as an array of noncognitive capabilities, competencies, and
An EI test is designed to measure how well one can recognize, skills that influence one's ability to succeed. The Bar-On model
assess, control, and express emotions. Several tests designed to
is the most widely used mixed ability model. In contrast to
measure emotional intelligence have appeared in recent years.
ability-based MSCEIT) tests, a mixed model such as the Bar-
These tests are different because they were developed by On (EQ-i) employs self-report measures to assess
different people for different purposes. One reason of the competencies across five subscales: intrapersonal,
proliferation of these psychometric tools was the commercial interpersonal, stress management, adaptability, and general
and economic opportunities such tools offered to developers.
mood. It is a 133-item self-report measure with a five-point
The following emotional intelligence scales are reviewed here
response scale, e.g. 1 “very seldom true or not true of me” to 5
because they are all widely used [7].
“very often true or true of me” [9]. The Youth Version (EQ-
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 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(2), ISSN: 2394-9333
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i:YV) is a self-report EI measure for children and adolescents 1. I know when to speak about my personal problems to
aged 7–18 years. The EQ-i and its shortened forms have been others
translated into several languages. Figure 4 illustrates subscales 2. When I am faced with obstacles, I remember times I faced
of the EQ-i. [8]. The MSCEIT and the EQ-i tests appear to similar obstacles and overcame them
measure different things and have low correlation. 3. I expect that I will do well on most things I try
3. Wong’s Emotional Intelligence Scale (WEIS): This is a 4. Other people find it easy to confide in me
scale or measure of EI based on the four ability dimensions 5. I find it hard to understand the non-verbal messages of
mentioned previously and designed to be used by Chinese other people
respondents. It consists of two parts: The first part has 20 6. Some of the major events of my life have led me to re-
scenarios and respondents are required to choose one option evaluate what is important and not important
that best reflects their likely reaction in each scenario. The 7. When my mood changes, I see new possibilities
second part is made of 20 ability pairs and respondents are 8. Emotions are one of the things that make my life worth
required to choose one out of the two types of abilities that best living
represent their strengths. 9. I am aware of my emotions as I experience them
4. Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) was developed by 10. I expect good things to happen
Schutte et al. in 1998. It is a 33-item instrument that measures 11. I like to share my emotions with others
three sub-dimensions namely: appraisal and expression of 12. When I experience a positive emotion, I know how to
emotion, regulation of emotion, and utilization of emotion. The make it last
items are measured on a 5-point Likert scale with responses 13. I arrange events others enjoy
ranging from strongly disagree (score 1) to strongly agree
14. I seek out activities that make me happy
(score 5) [10]. The 33 items can assess global trait EI and four
facets. 15. I am aware of the non-verbal messages I send to others
16. I present myself in a way that makes a good impression on
5. Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire: This is others
predicated on trait EI. Its early version was developed in 1998. 17. When I am in a positive mood, solving problems is easy
The instrument aims to capture the affective aspects of for me
personality. The 153-item TEIQue assesses 15 trait EI facets, 18. By looking at their facial expressions, I recognize the
four higher order factors and a global score (as previously
emotions people are experiencing
described), rated using a 7-point Likert scale, ranging from
19. I know why my emotions change
completely disagree to 7 completely agree. Internal
consistencies in this sample were .97 (total score), .71–.94 (15 20. When I am in a positive mood, I am able to come up with
subscales) and .90–.95 (four higher order factors). new ideas
21. I have control over my emotions
6, Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI): This was developed 22. I easily recognize my emotions as I experience them
by Boyatzis et al and it measures four domains of emotional
23. I motivate myself by imagining a good outcome to tasks I
intelligence: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social-
take on
Awareness, and Social-Skills. The ECI takes approximately 15
min to complete. 24. I compliment others when they have done something well
25. I am aware of the non-verbal messages other people send
Some of these tests have become standardized instruments for 26. When another person tells me about an important event in
measuring EI. Other popular EI tests include the Situational his or her life, I almost feel as though I have experienced
Test of Emotion Management (STEM), the Situational Test of this event myself
Emotional Understanding (the STEU), the Emotional and
27. When I feel a change in emotions, I tend to come up with
Social Intelligence Inventory (ESCI), Mobile Emotional
new ideas
Intelligence Test (MEIT), the Schutte Self-Report Emotional
28. When I am faced with a challenge, I give up because I
Intelligence Test (SSREIT), and Emotional Intelligence
Appraisal (EIA). It is highly recommended that all believe I will fail
researchers/practitioners using any of these tools should have a 29. I know what other people are feeling just by looking at
good understanding of the principles of psychological them
assessment and the limitations of psychological testing and 30. I help other people feel better when they are down
assessment. 31. I use good moods to help myself keep trying in the face of
obstacles
A. Sample EI Test
32. I can tell how people are feeling by listening to the tone of
Due to lack of space, we cannot discuss the actual test for each their voice
of the popular EI measures mentioned above. For the purpose 33. It is difficult for me to understand why people feel the
of illustration, we present a sample EI test (self-report EI way they do
scale), called the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence
You can take the test to know your emotional intelligent level.
Test (SSREIT) [11]. Respondents rate themselves on the items
using the following five-point scale: B. Measuring Emotional Intelligence in The Business
1 = strongly disagree Emotional intelligence is attractive to business. It has enabled
2 = disagree business managers to understand the contribution of emotions
3 = neither disagree nor agree in creating desirable qualities in business such as enthusiasm,
4 = agree motivation, commitment, and loyalty. One can apply emotion
5 = strongly agree measurement to assess the level of engagement of customers
with your product, marketing materials, website design, etc.
Studies have shown that EI is a better predictor of job

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 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(2), ISSN: 2394-9333
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performance, job satisfaction, employee engagement, and Jean Greaves. The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-
leadership ability than technical skills and industry experience i) has also been used for university students. Higher scores on
alone. Training employees in emotional intelligence is the new the EQ-i have been found to predict fewer daily hassles and
approach to solve some human resource problems. EI fewer emotional strain symptoms among university students
developments focus on management, organizational behavior, [14]. When academically gifted students participate MSCEIT
and leadership. Studies have shown that EI is a far better and SSRI, gifted students scored higher on the MSCEIT, but
indicator of business success than IQ [12]. There are various EI lower on the SSRI. This shows that individual differences are
instruments commercially available to businesses. measure dependent.
C. Measuring Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace F. Measuring Emotional Intelligence In The Healthcare
A lot has been written about the crucial role of EI in the There has been a growing expectation in recent years for
workplace. EI plays an important role in deciding success physicians to demonstrate clinical knowledge and technical
across varied professions. It helps in coping with stressful skill as well as personal social qualities and characteristics
situation at work. It has been claimed that EI or EQ is twice as embodied in the concept of emotional intelligence (EI). EI is
important as IQ in predicting workplace job performance. recognized to be a vital component of the doctor–patient
“Soft skills”, like emotional intelligence are regarded as relationship. It has emerged as an important factor in
effective ways, to distinguish between potential high- or low- identifying the potential abilities of graduates in the health
performance workers. Companies and organizations are professions to achieve success. There is a link between EI and
increasingly using EI when they hire and promote. Hiring physical health, manifested through stress management and
managers must be cautious when using EI measures to evaluate successful coping with life demands.
suitability of job applicants. These measures should be
EI is measured using a single electronic instrument, the EQ-i
regarded as only part of the assessment. Hiring employees with
2.0, which is self-assessment with 133 items in length and
high EI may have a positive impact on the extent to which an
takes approximately twenty minutes to complete. Such test
organization succeeds in retaining its most critical asset i.e., its
identifies EI strengths and weaknesses in a cohort of
workforce [13].
emergency medicine residents [15].
Performance in the workplace can be assessed in several
G. Measuring Emotional Intelligence in Relationships
ways. In fact, some assessments of EI are designed especially
for the workplace. For example, the Emotional Competency People with high EI are usually successful in whatever they do.
Inventory (ECI) was developed to meet some HR practitioner They get along well with others and they go through life much
criteria. The ECI takes approximately 15 min to complete. more easily than people who are easily irritated or upset. Peer
Mixed EI measures are appropriate in the workplace settings. relations have an impact on antisocial behavior and early
The Bar-On model (self-report measure) is the most widely withdrawal from school. Sex offenders display emotional
used. deficits, which seem to be related to the commission of
offence. The assessment of EI, using some branches of the
D. Measuring Emotional Intelligence in Leadership
MSCEIT, may prove to be useful in assessing the emotional
While regular qualities of a leader, such as intelligence, deficiencies of offenders [16]. The Bar On EQ-i2.0 assessment
determination, and vision, are important, the best leaders also of individuals can be completed on-line.
have high levels of self-awareness, empathy, motivation, social
IV. BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES
skills, and self-regulation. There is a strong link between
emotional intelligence and leadership. EI competencies have Emotional intelligence can be measured as an ability, using a
been shown to predict effectiveness in leaders in countries test similar to an IQ test. One benefit of ability based EI
around the world. EI can make the difference between a good measures is that they cannot be faked. Compared to ability
leader and a great one. Corporate leaders' tasks, such as setting based EI measures, trait based EI measures tend to have good
the vision and supervising management, all require substantial psychometric properties. These measures are useful for
levels of EI. Leaders with high EQ build supportive professional purposes such as in EI training and executive
environments which in turn leads to success. Some EI tests are coaching.
made for leaders. A leadership-focused assessment may use the
Several intelligence researchers question the very existence of
mixed traits-skills test.
ability EI. Some researchers faced some difficulties in
E. Measuring Emotional Intelligence in The Education developing measures with good psychometric properties. There
is no consensus on the correct way to measure emotional
It is well known that classrooms are emotional places, filled at
intelligence.
different times with enjoyment, anger, hurt, and boredom. EI is
related to interpersonal and communication skills, and is Most EI tools are not freely available for commercial use.
important in the assessment of students. For example, EI is an Using them without prior permission is strictly prohibited.
important quality medical schools are looking for in applicants Trait EI based measure is susceptible to faking due to its use of
today. Majority of studies use university students as a self-report nature. Participants may answer questions in a
participants because academic pressures at university can be strategic, socially desirable manner. Different EI measures are
much more diverse and stress inducing. There is limited used to validate different EI constructs by some researchers;
investigation the link between EI and academic success at the this causes confusion. Developers of EI tests must ensure that
elementary school level. the test have internal consistency, usefulness, validity, and
reliability. Some the tests need to be further explored in future
The MSCEIT and SSRI have been applied in assessing
research.
students in school or university, especially gifted children.
Some students have been evaluated with “Emotional CONCLUSION
Intelligence Appraisal,” a skill-based self-report EI
measurement created in 2001 by Drs. Travis Bradberry and Emotional intelligence (EI) represents a global capacity to deal
with emotions. Tests of EI are increasingly being used around
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 International Journal of Trend in Research and Development, Volume 7(2), ISSN: 2394-9333
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the world in different disciplines. Six widely used measures of [12] N. Rathi and R. Rastogi, “Assessing the relationship
EI have been reviewed in this paper. Users of these EI tools between emotional intelligence, occupational self-
should employ single, complete tests and choose most suitable efficacy and organizational commitment,” Journal of
tool for their purpose. Although some EI test do not show the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, vol. 35,
adequate validity, they generally have demonstrated adequate October 2009, pp. 93-102.
internal consistency reliability. Unfortunately, these tests [13] I. Goldenberg , K. Matheson, and J. Mantler, “The
cannot assess all there is to emotional intelligence [17]. Thus, assessment of emotional intelligence: A comparison of
the science of assessing EI remains a challenge. To learn more performance-based and self-report methodologies,”
about how to measure or assess emotional intelligence, consult Journal of Personality Assessment, vol. 86, no. 1, 2006,
the books in [7, 18-20] and the journal related to it: Journal of pp. 33-45.
Personality Assessment. [14] D. Dawda and S. D. Hart, “Assessing emotional
intelligence: Reliability and validity of the Bar-On
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Intelligence: Theory, Research, and Applications. New ABOUT THE AUTHORS
York: Springer, 2009.
Matthew N.O. Sadiku is a professor in the Department of
[8] E. M. Doherty, P. A. Cronin, and G. Offiah,
Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M
“Emotional intelligence assessment in a graduate entry
University, Prairie View, Texas. He is the author of several
medical school curriculum,” BMC Medical Education,
books and papers. His areas of research interests include
vol. 13, 2013.
computational electromagnetics and computer networks. He is
[9] I. Fletcher et al., A pilot study assessing emotional
a fellow of IEEE.
intelligence training and communication skills with 3rd
year medical students,” Patient Education and Olaniyi D. Olaleye is a project management professional. He
Counseling, vol. 76, no. 3, September 2009, pp. 376- is currently working towards a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and
379. Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University with
[10] S. Stanley and M. G. Bhuvaneshwari, “Personality emphasis on urbanization and infrastructural sustainability.
attributes of social work students: An assessment of
Sarhan M. Musa is a professor in the Department of Electrical
empathy, emotional intelligence, and resilience,” Social
and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M University,
Work Chronicle, vol. 7, no. 1, 2018, pp. 85-110.
Texas. He has been the director of Prairie View Networking
[11] “Emotional intelligence assessments,”
Academy, Texas, since 2004. He is an LTD Sprint and Boeing
https://thewellbeingproject.co.uk/emotional-
Welliver Fellow. His research interests include computer
intelligence-assessments/
networks and computational electromagnetics.

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