diff --git a/crates/ascend/Cargo.toml b/crates/ascend/Cargo.toml
index bf4bcb6..0eb68d5 100644
--- a/crates/ascend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/ascend/Cargo.toml
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ codee = { version = "0.3" }
 error_reporter = { version = "1" }
 getrandom = { version = "0.3.1" }
 
+[dev-dependencies]
+test-try= "0.1"
+
 [dev-dependencies.serde_json]
 version = "1"
 
-[dev-dependencies.test-try]
-version = "0.1"
-
 [features]
 hydrate = ["leptos/hydrate", "getrandom/wasm_js", "uuid/js"]
 ssr = [
diff --git a/crates/ascend/src/models.rs b/crates/ascend/src/models.rs
index 272969b..d3ee4ee 100644
--- a/crates/ascend/src/models.rs
+++ b/crates/ascend/src/models.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ pub use v3::UserInteraction;
 pub use v4::DatedAttempt;
 pub use v4::Problem;
 pub use v4::ProblemHolds;
+pub use v4::Transformation;
 
 mod semantics;
 
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ pub mod v4 {
         pub transformation: Transformation,
     }
 
-    #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Copy)]
+    #[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd, Ord, Copy, Default)]
     pub struct Transformation {
         pub horizontal_shift: u64,
         pub mirror: bool,
diff --git a/crates/ascend/src/models/semantics.rs b/crates/ascend/src/models/semantics.rs
index da42f99..8989489 100644
--- a/crates/ascend/src/models/semantics.rs
+++ b/crates/ascend/src/models/semantics.rs
@@ -11,8 +11,10 @@ impl Problem {
             transformation,
         } = self;
 
-        let min_col = holds.0.iter().map(|(hold_position, _)| hold_position.col).min().unwrap_or(0);
+        let mut transformation = *transformation;
 
+        let min_col = holds.0.iter().map(|(hold_position, _)| hold_position.col).min().unwrap_or(0);
+        transformation.horizontal_shift += min_col;
         let holds = {
             let holds = holds
                 .0
@@ -28,17 +30,17 @@ impl Problem {
             ProblemHolds(holds)
         };
 
-        let transformation = {
-            let mut transformation = *transformation;
-            transformation.horizontal_shift += min_col;
-            transformation
-        };
-
-        Self {
+        let mut new = Self {
             holds,
             method: *method,
             transformation,
+        };
+
+        if new.transformation.mirror {
+            new = new.mirror();
         }
+
+        new
     }
 
     pub fn mirror(&self) -> Self {
@@ -78,7 +80,6 @@ impl Problem {
             method: *method,
             transformation,
         }
-        .normalize()
     }
 
     pub fn shift(&self, shift: i64) -> Self {
@@ -186,3 +187,67 @@ impl Attempt {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test_try::test_try]
+    fn normalize_empty_problem() {
+        let problem = Problem {
+            holds: ProblemHolds([].into_iter().collect()),
+            method: Method::FeetFollowHands,
+            transformation: Transformation::default(),
+        };
+        let normalized = problem.normalize();
+        assert_eq!(problem, normalized);
+        let mirrored = problem.mirror();
+        assert_eq!(problem, mirrored);
+    }
+
+    #[test_try::test_try]
+    fn normalize_problem() {
+        let problem = Problem {
+            holds: ProblemHolds(
+                [
+                    (HoldPosition { row: 0, col: 1 }, HoldRole::End),
+                    (HoldPosition { row: 7, col: 6 }, HoldRole::Start),
+                ]
+                .into_iter()
+                .collect(),
+            ),
+            method: Method::FeetFollowHands,
+            transformation: Transformation::default(),
+        };
+
+        let normalized = problem.normalize();
+
+        assert_eq!(normalized.holds.0[&HoldPosition { row: 0, col: 0 }], HoldRole::End);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.holds.0[&HoldPosition { row: 7, col: 5 }], HoldRole::Start);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.transformation.horizontal_shift, 1);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.transformation.mirror, false);
+    }
+
+    #[test_try::test_try]
+    fn mirror_problem() {
+        let problem = Problem {
+            holds: ProblemHolds(
+                [
+                    (HoldPosition { row: 0, col: 1 }, HoldRole::End),
+                    (HoldPosition { row: 7, col: 6 }, HoldRole::Start),
+                ]
+                .into_iter()
+                .collect(),
+            ),
+            method: Method::FeetFollowHands,
+            transformation: Transformation::default(),
+        };
+
+        let normalized = problem.normalize();
+
+        assert_eq!(normalized.holds.0[&HoldPosition { row: 0, col: 0 }], HoldRole::End);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.holds.0[&HoldPosition { row: 7, col: 5 }], HoldRole::Start);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.transformation.horizontal_shift, 1);
+        assert_eq!(normalized.transformation.mirror, false);
+    }
+}