Many people ask how the MSCEIT tasks measure emotional intelligence.  Some of the tasks have good "face validity", meaning that they appear to measure an emotional intelligence ability. The best example of this is the "Faces" Task, where the test taker identifies the emotions expressed in a photograph of a person's face.  However, other tasks are not as clearly related to emotional intelligence.

We have provided a very brief explanation of the reasons for developing these tasks below. 

Our ability approach defines emotional intelligence as the ability to understand your own and others emotions and to use emotions to think more effectively. The MSCEIT measures four separate components of emotional intelligence: accurately identifying emotions in people and objects; being able to generate an emotion and solve problems with that emotion; understanding the causes of emotions; and, selecting strategies that result in positive outcomes.

The MSCEIT is in some ways like a standard intelligence test. Many intelligence tests ask you to solve puzzles, build with blocks, or remember numbers. Yet, these tests tend to yield accurate measures of one's ability to learn.

As an ability test, there will be times when you find some of the MSCEIT questions to be different from questions on other tests you have taken. Some parts of the test may not appear to be directly relevant to the work that you do. Some of the items will seem strange and unusual, especially those involving pictures and relating feelings to other senses.

These different components of the test were chosen because they provide a stable measure of emotional abilities. The MSCEIT measures abilities in direct as well as in indirect ways. Several published research studies indicate that the MSCEIT provides a reliable measure of emotional skills that are related to various aspects of performance in work, school, and home settings.

The MSCEIT consists of 8 different sections, which require a total of about 35 to 45 minutes to complete. For some of these test items, you may have a difficult time determining the best answer. If you are unsure of the best response, make an informed guess. Test items typically have more than one correct answer.