Friends are a great source of help in this regard. We all have different types of friends, the ones that seem to lack empathy altogether and appear lost in their own world, through to the ones that are the first to help in all situations and are always the ones that people turn to for their sympathetic ear when they have a problem. Empathy however is the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. The higher your ability to experience empathy the greater your emotional intelligence.
Do you have a friend that always seems to ‘get’ you? Do they understand you even when you are still trying to explain something to them because they are just able to feel with you? These people are often referred to as empaths and they are a gift in your life.
Ask that person what your emotional intelligence is like. Not only will you get an answer that is carefully delivered back to you in a way that will protect your feelings because they are good at that, but you will get special inside secrets as to how you rank on a EI scale because they know you personally.
They can also give you examples of when you did well and when you could have possibly improved as they experienced the same situations with you. There is nothing too confronting either about asking this particular kind of friend for feedback as they always have your back and your feelings are of utmost importance to them.
The emotional intelligence test is a good idea but try asking one of your friends for some personal feedback which will elevate your understanding on a very focused and close level. You might be pleasantly surprised at just how emphatic you can actually be!