What Is a Good EQ Score? Understanding Emotional Intelligence

EQ — Emotional Quotient, also known as Emotional Intelligence (EI) — is a measure of your ability to recognize, understand, manage, and effectively use emotions in yourself and in your interactions with others. The concept was popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his 1995 bestseller Emotional Intelligence, though the scientific groundwork was laid by researchers Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990.

Unlike IQ, which has a single standardized scale, EQ can be measured through several different frameworks:

• The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT): An ability-based test that measures how well you perform emotional tasks, such as identifying emotions in faces or understanding how emotions influence thinking. Scores are standardized with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, similar to IQ.
• The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0): A self-report assessment that measures emotional and social functioning across five composite scales. Scores use a mean of 100 with standard deviation of 15.
• The Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue): Measures emotional self-perceptions across four factors: well-being, self-control, emotionality, and sociability.

Most modern EQ assessments, including the Braindex EQ Test, measure five core dimensions: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Your overall EQ score reflects your combined ability across all five areas.

On the most commonly used EQ scales (mean of 100, standard deviation of 15), scores are generally classified as follows:

• 130+ (Exceptional): Extremely high emotional intelligence. You are in the top 2% of the population for emotional skills. People in this range are typically outstanding leaders, counselors, or communicators.
• 115-129 (High): Well above average. You navigate social situations skillfully, manage your own emotions effectively, and are usually seen as empathetic and socially perceptive.
• 100-114 (Average to High Average): Healthy, functional emotional intelligence. You handle most emotional situations well and have solid interpersonal skills.
• 85-99 (Average to Low Average): Room for growth in some areas. You may find certain emotional situations challenging — managing stress, reading social cues, or expressing vulnerability.
• Below 85 (Below Average): Significant development opportunity. You may struggle with emotional regulation, empathy, or social awareness. This is not a permanent state — EQ is highly trainable.

A "good" EQ score is generally considered to be 100 or above, with 115+ being notably strong. But unlike IQ, where scores are relatively stable over a lifetime, EQ is remarkably responsive to intentional development. This means a low EQ score today is not a life sentence — it is a baseline from which to grow.

The relationship between EQ and IQ is one of the most debated topics in psychology. While both measure important human capacities, they capture fundamentally different abilities.

• What IQ measures: Cognitive processing speed, abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, working memory, and logical problem-solving. IQ is relatively fixed by early adulthood and changes only modestly over a lifetime.
• What EQ measures: Emotional awareness, empathy, impulse control, social navigation, and the ability to use emotions productively. EQ is far more malleable and can improve significantly at any age with practice.

Research has revealed some fascinating findings about the EQ-IQ relationship:

• IQ and EQ are largely independent — a high IQ does not predict a high EQ, and vice versa. You can be a brilliant analyst with poor emotional skills, or an emotionally gifted person with average cognitive ability.
• For most jobs, EQ is a stronger predictor of performance than IQ. A study published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that emotional intelligence accounted for 58% of job performance across all types of positions.
• However, for highly technical or academic roles, IQ remains the stronger predictor. The importance of each varies depending on the demands of the specific role and environment.
• The most successful individuals typically score well on both — they combine cognitive horsepower with emotional sophistication.

The bottom line: IQ gets you in the door; EQ determines how far you go once you are inside.

Understanding what makes up your EQ score helps you identify specific areas for growth rather than just looking at a single number.

• Self-Awareness: The ability to recognize your own emotions as they happen and understand how they affect your thoughts and behavior. Highly self-aware people can name what they are feeling in the moment and understand why. This is the foundation of all other EQ skills — you cannot manage emotions you do not recognize.
• Self-Regulation: The ability to manage your emotional responses appropriately. This does not mean suppressing emotions — it means choosing how to express them. It includes impulse control, stress management, and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Motivation: The internal drive to pursue goals with energy and persistence for reasons beyond money or status. Emotionally intelligent people are motivated by a deeper sense of purpose, curiosity, or the satisfaction of mastery.
• Empathy: The ability to sense, understand, and respond to what other people are feeling. Empathy goes beyond sympathy — it involves actually sharing in another person's emotional experience and seeing situations from their perspective.
• Social Skills: The ability to manage relationships, communicate clearly, influence others, collaborate effectively, and navigate conflict constructively. Social skills represent the outward application of all the other EQ components.

Most people have an uneven profile across these dimensions. You might score high on empathy but low on self-regulation, or strong on motivation but weaker on social skills. Knowing your specific profile is far more useful than knowing your overall number.

Research and assessment data reveal interesting patterns in how emotional intelligence varies across MBTI personality types.

Types that tend to score highest on EQ measures:

• ENFJ: Often the highest average EQ of all types. Their dominant Extraverted Feeling makes them naturally attuned to group emotions and social dynamics.
• ESFJ: Strong social awareness and a deep commitment to caring for others contribute to consistently high EQ scores.
• ENFP: High emotional awareness combined with genuine curiosity about people produces strong EQ across most dimensions.
• INFJ: Despite being introverts, INFJs score very high on empathy due to their auxiliary Extraverted Feeling and their deep insight into human nature.

Types that tend to score lower on traditional EQ measures:

• INTP and ISTP: Their preference for impersonal logic and their lower prioritization of social harmony often result in lower EQ test scores, though this does not mean they are incapable of emotional intelligence.
• INTJ and ENTJ: Their Thinking dominance means emotional processing is less prioritized, though many develop strong EQ over time, especially in leadership roles.

It is crucial to note that these are averages — individual variation within any type is enormous. An INTP who has intentionally developed their emotional skills can easily outscore an ENFJ who has not. Type creates a starting point, not a ceiling.

One of the most encouraging findings in emotional intelligence research is that EQ is highly trainable. Unlike IQ, which is largely stable by adulthood, emotional intelligence can improve dramatically with deliberate practice at any age.

Evidence-based strategies for improving each EQ dimension:

• Improving self-awareness: Start a daily emotions journal. At the end of each day, write down three emotions you experienced, what triggered them, and how they influenced your behavior. Over time, you will develop a much richer emotional vocabulary and faster real-time recognition.
• Improving self-regulation: Practice the "pause and label" technique. When you feel a strong emotion rising, pause for six seconds (the time it takes for an emotional impulse to pass through the brain), name the emotion, and then choose your response deliberately rather than reacting automatically.
• Improving empathy: Practice active listening — when someone is speaking, focus entirely on understanding their experience rather than planning your response. Ask follow-up questions that show you are trying to understand their perspective, not just waiting for your turn to talk.
• Improving social skills: Seek feedback from trusted friends or colleagues about how you come across in social situations. Often there is a significant gap between how we think we are perceived and how others actually experience us.
• Improving motivation: Connect your daily tasks to your deeper values. When you can see how routine work serves a larger purpose that matters to you, intrinsic motivation naturally increases.

Research suggests that consistent practice over 3-6 months can produce measurable improvements in EQ scores. The key is consistency — emotional intelligence is built through daily habits, not occasional workshops.

Knowing your EQ score is the first step toward developing stronger emotional intelligence. The Braindex EQ Test measures your emotional intelligence across all five core dimensions — self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills — through 30 carefully designed questions.

What you get from the Braindex EQ Test:

• Overall EQ score: A standardized score that tells you where you stand relative to the general population.
• Dimension breakdown: Individual scores for each of the five EQ components, so you can see exactly where your strengths and growth areas lie.
• Personalized insights: Specific observations about your emotional profile and what it means for your relationships, career, and personal development.
• Comparison data: See how your EQ compares across personality types, professions, and demographics.

The test takes about 6 minutes and is completely free — no hidden paywalls or locked results. For the most complete picture of your abilities, pair the EQ Test with our IQ Test and Personality Test to generate a full Braindex Card that captures your cognitive, emotional, and personality profile in one shareable image.