During the period of COVID-19 pandemic when mostly all the universities have transferred to distant learning, the educational effect of many interactive methods partially reduced. However, simulation is underestimated by university professors and scarsely used in the educational process. Despite a profound interest in interactive methods, theoretical and practical issues of simulation still need examination, especially in the context of competence-based education. In present research pedagogical, psychological and linguistic issues of simulation are studied. Though, simulation is often referred to as a method or a game, we consider it to be an educational technology. Contrary to entertaining simulation, educational simulation used as technology usually is more than a case, because it has a structured scenario with a system of rules and prohibitions, which are created with a certain idea of forming specific competences. The practical part of the article contains a description of the empirical study of the simulation technology results used at English lessons at the technical university, which prove a high educational efficiency of simulation technology in the professional development of future engineers of agro-complex.