diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py
index 19b9b45d176..0c16adcef70 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py
@@ -118,5 +118,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         bootstrap(*options)
 
         make()
-        # make('test')  # some tests fail, takes forever
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('test')  # some tests fail, takes forever
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/expat/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/expat/package.py
index 7e56bddd159..0262bf1e3f8 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/expat/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/expat/package.py
@@ -38,5 +38,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        make('check')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/jsoncpp/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/jsoncpp/package.py
index 77f18cb6ab4..5169b338eed 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/jsoncpp/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/jsoncpp/package.py
@@ -44,5 +44,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
             cmake('..', '-DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=ON', *std_cmake_args)
 
             make()
-            # make('test')  # Python needed to run tests
+            if self.run_tests:
+                make('test')  # Python needed to run tests
             make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libarchive/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libarchive/package.py
index 62785638752..e439bf894ff 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libarchive/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libarchive/package.py
@@ -52,5 +52,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        # make('check')  # cannot build test suite with Intel compilers
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')  # cannot build test suite with Intel compilers
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
index 6b25097bcd6..0b55fe4d305 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/libxml2/package.py
@@ -55,5 +55,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix), *python_args)
 
         make()
-        make('check')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lz4/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lz4/package.py
index 89356a607ca..de7e566e709 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lz4/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lz4/package.py
@@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ class Lz4(Package):
 
     def install(self, spec, prefix):
         make()
-        # make('test')  # requires valgrind to be installed
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('test')  # requires valgrind to be installed
         make('install', 'PREFIX={0}'.format(prefix))
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzma/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzma/package.py
index f363569930c..23d697ffe8c 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzma/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzma/package.py
@@ -44,5 +44,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        make('check')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')  # one of the tests fails for me
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzo/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzo/package.py
index 7702186cbda..172e57d0cde 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzo/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/lzo/package.py
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         ]
         configure(*configure_args)
         make()
-        make('check')
-        make('test')  # more exhaustive test
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')
+            make('test')  # more exhaustive test
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/nettle/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/nettle/package.py
index bf494236051..b4c873a8a18 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/nettle/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/nettle/package.py
@@ -41,5 +41,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        make('check')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/xz/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/xz/package.py
index 815d8985041..8b0609f50e1 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/xz/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/xz/package.py
@@ -40,5 +40,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        make('check')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('check')
         make('install')
diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/zlib/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/zlib/package.py
index 8834a058043..6f4d8a5bb8e 100644
--- a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/zlib/package.py
+++ b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/zlib/package.py
@@ -38,5 +38,6 @@ def install(self, spec, prefix):
         configure('--prefix={0}'.format(prefix))
 
         make()
-        make('test')
+        if self.run_tests:
+            make('test')
         make('install')