The Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) is a semi-direct speaking test that models the format of the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), an oral proficiency test used by government agencies to assess general speaking proficiency in a second language. The SOPI is a tape-recorded test consisting of six parts. It begins with simple, personal background questions posed on a tape in a simulated initial encounter with a native speaker of the target language. Part one of the SOPI is analogous to the warm-up phase of the OPI, and the other five parts are designed to elicit language that is similar to language that would be elicited during the check and probe phases of the OPI. An examination of the SOPI research shows that the SOPI correlates so highly with the OPI that it is safe to say that the tests measure the same abilities. A comparison of the advantages of each test suggests that the SOPI offers certain practical and psychometric advantages over the OPI. (VWL)