Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test
The MSCEIT 2 is the new (2025) version of the Mayer Salovey and Caruso emotional intelligence test—an ability-based model of emotional intelligence (EI) supported by over 30 years of research.
This assessment uses 12 different interactive question types to measure your ability to be smart with and about emotions in four domains: perceiving emotions, connecting emotions to other sensations, understanding complex emotions and the causes and transitions between emotions, and managing emotional data to make optimal decisions.
This approach views EI as a unique intelligence, where emotions and intelligence work together, rather than being separate or at odds with one another.
For writers, understanding your emotional intelligence abilities provides crucial insights into how you craft authentic characters, build compelling emotional arcs, and navigate the emotional challenges of a writing career.
Use the MSCEIT 2 for:
Character Development in Fiction
Crafting Authentic Emotional Arcs
Writing Career Development
Author Coaching & Mentorship
Manuscript Consultation
Managing Creative Emotions
Reader Connection & Impact
Professional Writer Development
The MSCEIT 2 Model
The MSCEIT 2 model consists of 4 domains that combine to provide an overall sense of your ability to reason with emotions and about emotion-related information.
Perceiving Emotions
The skills needed to perceive and accurately identify emotions in people and their environments.
Connecting Emotions
The skills needed to connect physical and related sensations to emotional experiences and to use those experiences to assist thinking.
Understanding Emotions
The skills needed to understand emotional information, including the meaning, causes, and changes in emotions.
Managing Emotions
The skills needed to be open to your own emotions and those of other people, and the ability to reflectively manage emotions to make optimal decisions.
Benefits of MSCEIT 2
✓ Practical Development Strategies
Provides actionable insights based on an individual’s results, encouraging meaningful development.
✓ Research-Based
Based on extensive research, supporting its reliability and validity as an emotional intelligence tool.
✓ Versatile Application
Can be applied across multiple settings, making it valuable for both recruitment and development processes.
✓ Customizable Reports
Easy-to-understand interpretation with additional information to dive deeper into an individual’s results.
✓ Performance-Based
Uses an individual’s performance rather than self-ratings, eliminating the impact of self-awareness and positive impression management.
✓ Engaging Experience
Uses a mixture of interactive, multimedia questions throughout the assessment to engage test takers.
MSCEIT 2 Assessment
Interested in taking the MSCEIT 2 assessment to better understand your emotional intelligence and how it impacts your writing? Contact us to learn more.
Key Assessment Features
- 30-45 minutes to complete
- Online administration
- Provides practical development strategies based on your results
- Includes a 60-minute one-on-one consultation with a certified MSCEIT assessor to review your results
- 12 question types: Uses a mixture of interactive, multimedia questions throughout the assessment
- Ability-based assessment: Measures your performance rather than your self-ratings
Your MSCEIT 2 Results
After completing the MSCEIT 2 assessment, you’ll receive a comprehensive report designed to support your self-awareness and provide practical strategies for developing your emotional intelligence—both in your writing and your career as an author.
MSCEIT 2 Report
Your personalized report includes detailed scores across all four emotional intelligence domains, interpretive guidance, and actionable development strategies tailored to you.