Interactional competence (IC) is central for human communication, but has received little focus in standardized second language (L2) speaking tests. Given that raters' understandings of assessment are reflected in scores, the study examines how raters conceptualize IC assessment. The data consists of focus group interviews with six groups of teachers (N=24) who act as raters of the Swedish National English Speaking Test; a test administered annually to all students in grades 6 and 9 (12–13 and 15–16 years). The study adopts a theoretical and empirical based model of IC, and data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings show that interlocutor support was particularly salient in teachers' conceptualizations of IC, and that teachers acknowledged students' social roles in interaction, which goes beyond previous IC definitions. Moreover, findings indicate that teachers conflated IC with linguistic competence. The study thus furthers our knowledge of how IC is understood and defined by teachers for assessment.