The Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), is a standardized procedure for the global assessment of functional speaking ability. A face-to-face or telephonic interview between certified testers and an examinee is conducted to determine how well an examinee speaks the target language through comparison of his or her performance on specific communication tasks to the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Skill Level Descriptions. The Oral Proficiency Interview takes the form of a carefully structured conversation between trained and certified interviewers and the person whose speaking proficiency is being assessed. The interview is interactive and continuously adapts to the speaking abilities of the individual being tested.
The description of expected ability, the learner's speaking proficiency is regularly superior in all respects, usually equivalent to that of a well educated, highly articulate native speaker.The expected skills include tailor language to fit audience; persuade, advise, negotiate and convince; and to show signs of ability to express oneself at the highly articulate native speaker level.