John Read is about to retire as Professor in Applied Language Studies at the University of Auckland. He previously taught applied linguistics, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at Victoria University of Wellington, the SEAMEO Regional Language Centre, the University of Texas El Paso, and Indiana University. He specializes in language testing and assessment, including vocabulary assessment and the testing of English for academic and professional purposes. Earlier in his career he was extensively involved with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as a test administrator, consultant, and principal investigator for three IELTS-funded research projects. More recently, he was a member of the Committee of Examiners for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for a four-year term (2011-15). This article presents an interview with John Read on language testing and assessment.