While performing an ELISA, a lab technician fails to rinse away unbound detection antibody from the wells before adding the substrate for the reporter enzyme. What is the likely outcome of this error?

All wells, including the controls, will indicate a positive result.

Explanation:

If you don't rinse away unbound detection antibodies from the wells, they will remain in the wells and you will detect them as false positives. The aim of ELISA test is to detect and measure a specific substrate by using a specific antibody which bounds to the substrate. After incubation with the antibody, the antibodies which were not bound to the sustrate have to be eliminated because the detection signal measured must be due to the specific bound antibody.