diff --git a/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py b/var/spack/repos/builtin/packages/cmake/package.py
index 19b9b45d176dd1f439be4de9fa5cd265381ebb15..0c16adcef7017168f1b103dac9dec66e4d198a8e 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 7e56bddd15918487c6fff0c242ea8813e64f76ff..0262bf1e3f8e5982482d153c8673a734de0c11fd 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 77f18cb6ab47ff12768b1ad3d8b2bc38ba27b649..5169b338eeda29d5dc6e70d945f05f40dcf27c2b 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 6278563875291547ebbdead302bc99da63ce9fe7..e439bf894ffb3896cc62ecc188c2e4ec74f1ab36 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 6b25097bcd6a02a70dc5809348eaf55b74a7d597..0b55fe4d30583b1234cd7d11395a5113bfa038e8 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 89356a607cae4c1a391d47beb7fc98c8d589834e..de7e566e709c639dd6a9b46e8f091bec51fbb3ec 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 f363569930c5976dfcc2aeffc9901e4d8dca6c83..23d697ffe8cbcbd50746e13773e36d6804b6825d 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 7702186cbdaac1ae5074dba987e9c671917b548b..172e57d0cdeb155f772420f2dcc0f3b59d5d4be8 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 bf49423605141b883c6583777da092453d9c35aa..b4c873a8a180e676cfedea74043d59597f079c7e 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 815d898504182aef52553394ed483d2db1980a73..8b0609f50e11c64f285b5db19fdc2cf975b11fc1 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 8834a0580435c772860edf59520a668ab00caad3..6f4d8a5bb8e741aeb1e7ebd064d59a0d5d832337 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')