Emotional intelligence assessments measure your ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions, in yourself and others. Increasingly used for leadership and management roles.
Emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) assessments measure four core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. They are used primarily for leadership, management, and customer-facing roles where interpersonal effectiveness is critical. Unlike cognitive ability tests, EQ assessments measure how you typically behave in emotional situations.
Understanding the different formats helps you prepare more efficiently.
Presents emotional scenarios and asks you to identify the most appropriate emotional response. Has objectively correct answers (e.g., MSCEIT).
Rate how well statements describe your typical emotional behaviour. Similar to personality questionnaires (e.g., EQ-i 2.0).
Combines self-report with ratings from colleagues and managers. Used in development contexts rather than selection.
Try these example questions to get a feel for the format. Click "Show Answer" to see the explanation.
A team member becomes visibly upset during a meeting after their idea is criticised. As their manager, what is the most emotionally intelligent response? A) Continue the meeting. Emotions shouldn't interfere with work B) Acknowledge their feelings privately after the meeting and explore what's behind the reaction C) Immediately defend them in the meeting to show support D) Tell them to manage their emotions more professionally
Proven techniques to maximise your Emotional Intelligence score.
Learn the four EQ domains (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management) and their sub-competencies. Most questions map to one of these domains.
EQ answers prioritise long-term relationship quality over short-term convenience. The 'easy' response (ignore, dismiss, react impulsively) is usually wrong.
In interpersonal scenarios, acknowledging and validating emotions before problem-solving is almost always the correct approach.
Everything you need to know about Emotional Intelligence tests.
Personality assessments help employers predict job performance and cultural fit. Unlike aptitude tests, there are no correct answers, but consistency and authenticity are critical.
Situational Judgement Tests present realistic workplace scenarios and ask how you would respond. They measure judgment, values, and decision-making aligned with the employer's competency framework.
Leadership assessments evaluate your leadership style, potential, and effectiveness. Used for management, graduate leadership programmes, and executive selection.