Field tests of test items are useful in developing cutting scores for important tests, such as teacher certification examinations and high school graduation tests, because they indicate test item quality and estimate future examinee performance. However, field test data may provide a faulty indication of examinee performance on the real test. Examinee performance is often better when the test counts than it is on the field test. Based on the field test for Texas's high school graduation test, it was estimated that about 25 percent of the examinees would fail both the English and mathematics tests. However, only nine percent failed the English test and twelve percent failed mathematics. For the Alabama High School Graduation Test, actual performance exceeded field test performance in 53 of 54 competency areas. With the Georgia Teacher Certification Tests, item p-values typically increased ten or more points from field test to real test. Actual failure rates on the Arkansas educator recertification test were also much lower than those of field test examinees. Factors which contribute to these differences include the representativeness of the field test sample, examinee motivation, examinees' preparation for actual tests, and examinees' ability to repeat actual tests. (GDC)