All candidates for SBC are given a spoken English proficiency interview. The format of the interview is the same as the LPI (Language Proficiency Interview) used by the TOEIC® administration. Candidates are asked to complete a series of tasks, and will be evaluated in terms of:

• Fluency
• Listening comprehension
• Grammatical accuracy
• Vocabulary
• Pronunciation
• Communication strategies

A trained and certified TOEIC® interviewer carries out the interview, and all criteria are rated as being of equal significance. For example, if a candidate makes repeated grammatical errors or uses inappropriate vocabulary (e.g. "I live in Saitama State"), these will adversely affect the final rating. However, if the same candidate can speak at indefinite length and with near-native pronunciation, these points will weigh very highly in his or her favour. No individual factor has dominance—the eventual rating is based on a holistic evaluation of all the criteria.