There are common psychometric issues in self-assessment questionnaires: Personal bias, answer style, and inconsistency. Steps have been taken to insulate the SEI scores from these obscuring influences:

Personal bias: the SEI has been tested to consider the effects of these biases by utilizing a “positive impression” scale. To a very large extent, the SEI functions effectively without correction. However, the Positive Impression factor is reported on the data sheet to provide useful insight to a SEI Assessor interpreting SEI results.
Answer style: Another common psychometric issue is that different people assign a Likert scale (e.g., 1-5) with different meanings. Some rarely use extremes, others “always leave room for improvement.” To compensate for these differences, the SEI includes an Answer Style index.
Inconsistency: some test takers are inconsistent in their answers which can reveal a lack of understanding or a lack of focus. These can reduce the value of the results. The SEI includes a test of consistency that also evaluates completion time.

POSITIVE IMPRESSION

Average performance and the distribution of scores for positive impression is closely aligned with that of other EQ scales. This is a standardized score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15, similar to that of the EQ components and Life Barometers. This means that a markedly high, standardized positive impression score, as identified by standard deviation points, remains a valid gauge for further follow-up as indicated in SEI-YV reports across the different survey versions. Positive impression range can be: Very Low, Low, Average, High or Very High.

EXECUTION TIME

As in the other SEI indices, the individual test-taker’s behavior is compared to a large international sample; typically individuals take around eight minutes to complete the SEI. If completion time is unusually fast or slow, it’s a signal of a potential issue. The completion time index is calculated based on main questionnaire, starting after the personal data page, and ending before the final, optional, mood question.

If the completion time is:

Extremely short: Red Light

Short: Yellow Light

Average: Green Light

Long: Yellow Light

CONSISTENCY ANSWERS (CA)

The consistency index evaluates the frequency of answer choices that the test-taker uses in the 5-point Likert Scale (e.g, “I Agree,” “I Disagree”). This evaluation is based on the elaboration of two indicators:

1. DENSITY INDICATOR - how often does the person use option 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5? Their frequency is compared to the international standard. If one or more options is significantly over-used, the system identifies a potential problem.

2. RANDOM INDICATOR - this test compares way the test taker answers every item with the international standard. If they follow a random pattern in answering, the system detects a potential problem. To increase accuracy, this indicator is also linked to completion time to make the final random feedback more accurate.

These indicators are summarized in a single CA index, reported in the Data sheet through 3 lights:

Red Light - Low Consistency (problems in one or both indicators)

Yellow Light - Moderate Consistency (potential problem in the random index)

Green Light - High Consistency (both indicators in a normal range)

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