Abstract: An interferometric apparatus comprises an optical assembly which simultaneously directs two mutually coherent light pencils at different respective angles of incidence towards a point on a surface and receives the reflected light pencils therefrom. The assembly includes optical means bringing the reflected pencils at least partially into coincidence so that they can interfere optically in a manner varying with variation in the distance of points on the surface from a reference plane. The assembly may be combined with a microscope to form a "pupil-shearing micro-interferometer" for investigating surface topography.