Multi-spot illumination and collection optics for highly tilted wafer planes are provided. One system configured to collect and detect light scattered from a wafer includes a set of optical elements configured to collect light scattered from spatially separated spots formed on a wafer plane at an oblique angle of incidence and to focus the light to corresponding spatially separated positions in an image plane. This system also includes a detection subsystem configured to separately detect the light focused to the spatially separated positions in the image plane.