diff --git a/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestMount.js b/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestMount.js
index d964a1390a65f..c22c59320187f 100644
--- a/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestMount.js
+++ b/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestMount.js
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ var getHostComponentFromComposite = require('getHostComponentFromComposite');
 var instantiateReactComponent = require('instantiateReactComponent');
 var invariant = require('invariant');
 
+type TestRendererMockConfig = {
+  getMockRef: (element: ReactElement) => Object,
+};
+
 /**
  * Temporary (?) hack so that we can store all top-level pending updates on
  * composites instead of having to worry about different types of components
@@ -45,7 +49,9 @@ TopLevelWrapper.isReactTopLevelWrapper = true;
  */
 function mountComponentIntoNode(
     componentInstance,
-    transaction) {
+    transaction,
+    mockConfig,
+  ) {
   var image = ReactReconciler.mountComponent(
     componentInstance,
     transaction,
@@ -54,6 +60,9 @@ function mountComponentIntoNode(
     emptyObject
   );
   componentInstance._renderedComponent._topLevelWrapper = componentInstance;
+  if (mockConfig) {
+    componentInstance._renderedComponent._mockConfig = mockConfig;
+  }
   return image;
 }
 
@@ -65,13 +74,16 @@ function mountComponentIntoNode(
  * @param {number} containerTag container element to mount into.
  */
 function batchedMountComponentIntoNode(
-    componentInstance) {
+    componentInstance,
+    mockConfig,
+  ) {
   var transaction = ReactUpdates.ReactReconcileTransaction.getPooled();
   var image = transaction.perform(
     mountComponentIntoNode,
     null,
     componentInstance,
-    transaction
+    transaction,
+    mockConfig,
   );
   ReactUpdates.ReactReconcileTransaction.release(transaction);
   return image;
@@ -135,11 +147,12 @@ ReactTestInstance.prototype.toJSON = function() {
 var ReactTestMount = {
 
   render: function(
-    nextElement: ReactElement<any>
+    nextElement: ReactElement<any>,
+    mockConfig: TestRendererMockConfig,
   ): ReactTestInstance {
     var nextWrappedElement = React.createElement(
       TopLevelWrapper,
-      { child: nextElement }
+      { child: nextElement },
     );
 
     var instance = instantiateReactComponent(nextWrappedElement, false);
@@ -147,10 +160,12 @@ var ReactTestMount = {
     // The initial render is synchronous but any updates that happen during
     // rendering, in componentWillMount or componentDidMount, will be batched
     // according to the current batching strategy.
+    //
 
     ReactUpdates.batchedUpdates(
       batchedMountComponentIntoNode,
-      instance
+      instance,
+      mockConfig,
     );
     return new ReactTestInstance(instance);
   },
diff --git a/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestRenderer.js b/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestRenderer.js
index ac9d1f47248d8..946a93429dfa5 100644
--- a/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestRenderer.js
+++ b/src/renderers/testing/ReactTestRenderer.js
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ var ReactTestComponent = function(element) {
   this._currentElement = element;
   this._renderedChildren = null;
   this._topLevelWrapper = null;
+  this._mockConfig = null;
 };
 ReactTestComponent.prototype.mountComponent = function(
   transaction,
@@ -62,9 +63,13 @@ ReactTestComponent.prototype.receiveComponent = function(
 };
 ReactTestComponent.prototype.getHostNode = function() {};
 ReactTestComponent.prototype.getPublicInstance = function() {
-  // I can't say this makes a ton of sense but it seems better than throwing.
-  // Maybe we'll revise later if someone has a good use case.
-  return null;
+  if (this._mockConfig) {
+    var { getMockRef } = this._mockConfig;
+    if (getMockRef) {
+      return getMockRef(this._currentElement);
+    }
+  }
+  return {};
 };
 ReactTestComponent.prototype.unmountComponent = function() {};
 ReactTestComponent.prototype.toJSON = function() {
@@ -134,9 +139,9 @@ ReactComponentEnvironment.injection.injectEnvironment({
   replaceNodeWithMarkup: function() {},
 });
 
+
 var ReactTestRenderer = {
   create: ReactTestMount.render,
-
   /* eslint-disable camelcase */
   unstable_batchedUpdates: ReactUpdates.batchedUpdates,
   /* eslint-enable camelcase */
diff --git a/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js b/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
index e562867fd2dbb..e184dcebdfe0d 100644
--- a/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
+++ b/src/renderers/testing/__tests__/ReactTestRenderer-test.js
@@ -203,7 +203,24 @@ describe('ReactTestRenderer', function() {
   it('gives a ref to native components', function() {
     var log = [];
     ReactTestRenderer.create(<div ref={(r) => log.push(r)} />);
-    expect(log).toEqual([null]);
+    expect(log).toEqual([{}]);
+  });
+
+  it('allows an optional getMockRef function', function() {
+    var mockDOMInstance = { focus: () => {} };
+    var log = [];
+    ReactTestRenderer.create(
+      <div ref={(r) => log.push(r)} />,
+      {
+        getMockRef: instance => {
+          return mockDOMInstance;
+        },
+      }
+    );
+    ReactTestRenderer.create(
+      <div ref={(r) => log.push(r)} />,
+    );
+    expect(log).toEqual([mockDOMInstance, {}]);
   });
 
   it('supports error boundaries', function() {