diff --git a/npm/webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor/test/unit/index.spec.js b/npm/webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor/test/unit/index.spec.js
index 3d5d9eec5404..53eaab36a467 100644
--- a/npm/webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor/test/unit/index.spec.js
+++ b/npm/webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor/test/unit/index.spec.js
@@ -33,11 +33,18 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
 
   context('#getTSCompilerOptionsForUser', () => {
     const mockTsconfigPath = '/path/to/tsconfig.json'
+    let readFileTsConfigMock
     let preprocessor
+    let readFileTsConfigStub
+    let webpackOptions
 
     beforeEach(() => {
       const tsConfigPathSpy = sinon.spy()
 
+      readFileTsConfigMock = () => {
+        throw new Error('Could not read file!')
+      }
+
       mock('tsconfig-paths-webpack-plugin', tsConfigPathSpy)
       mock('@cypress/webpack-preprocessor', (options) => {
         return (file) => undefined
@@ -48,16 +55,14 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
       sinon.stub(tsconfig, 'findSync').callsFake(() => mockTsconfigPath)
 
       preprocessor = require('../../index')
-    })
 
-    afterEach(() => {
-    // Remove the mock
-      mock.stop('tsconfig-paths-webpack-plugin')
-      mock.stop('@cypress/webpack-preprocessor')
-    })
+      const fs = require('fs-extra')
 
-    it('always returns compilerOptions even if there is an error discovering the user\'s tsconfig.json', () => {
-      const webpackOptions = {
+      readFileTsConfigStub = sinon.stub(fs, 'readFileSync').withArgs(mockTsconfigPath, 'utf8').callsFake(() => {
+        return readFileTsConfigMock()
+      })
+
+      webpackOptions = {
         module: {
           rules: [],
         },
@@ -66,17 +71,26 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
           plugins: [],
         },
       }
+    })
+
+    afterEach(() => {
+    // Remove the mock
+      mock.stop('tsconfig-paths-webpack-plugin')
+      mock.stop('@cypress/webpack-preprocessor')
+    })
+
+    it('always returns compilerOptions even if there is an error discovering the user\'s tsconfig.json', () => {
       const preprocessorCB = preprocessor({
         typescript: true,
         webpackOptions,
       })
 
-      // will not be able to find the user's tsconfig
       preprocessorCB({
         filePath: 'foo.ts',
         outputPath: '.js',
       })
 
+      sinon.assert.calledOnce(readFileTsConfigStub)
       const tsLoader = webpackOptions.module.rules[0].use[0]
 
       expect(tsLoader.loader).to.contain('ts-loader')
@@ -95,8 +109,6 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
     })
 
     it('turns inlineSourceMaps on by default even if none are configured', () => {
-      const fs = require('fs-extra')
-
       // make json5 compat schema
       const mockTsConfig = `{
           "compilerOptions": {
@@ -105,19 +117,8 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
           }
         }`
 
-      const readFileTsConfigStub = sinon.stub(fs, 'readFileSync').withArgs(mockTsconfigPath, 'utf8').callsFake(() => {
-        return mockTsConfig
-      })
+      readFileTsConfigMock = () => mockTsConfig
 
-      const webpackOptions = {
-        module: {
-          rules: [],
-        },
-        resolve: {
-          extensions: [],
-          plugins: [],
-        },
-      }
       const preprocessorCB = preprocessor({
         typescript: true,
         webpackOptions,
@@ -142,8 +143,6 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
     })
 
     it('turns on sourceMaps and disables inlineSourceMap and inlineSources if the sourceMap configuration option is set by the user', () => {
-      const fs = require('fs-extra')
-
       // make json5 compat schema
       const mockTsConfig = `{
           "compilerOptions": {
@@ -152,19 +151,8 @@ describe('webpack-batteries-included-preprocessor', () => {
           }
         }`
 
-      const readFileTsConfigStub = sinon.stub(fs, 'readFileSync').withArgs(mockTsconfigPath, 'utf8').callsFake(() => {
-        return mockTsConfig
-      })
+      readFileTsConfigMock = () => mockTsConfig
 
-      const webpackOptions = {
-        module: {
-          rules: [],
-        },
-        resolve: {
-          extensions: [],
-          plugins: [],
-        },
-      }
       const preprocessorCB = preprocessor({
         typescript: true,
         webpackOptions,
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 728f8c62b5af..7672483a6275 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -6524,14 +6524,7 @@
   dependencies:
     type-detect "4.0.8"
 
-"@sinonjs/commons@^3.0.0":
-  version "3.0.0"
-  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@sinonjs/commons/-/commons-3.0.0.tgz#beb434fe875d965265e04722ccfc21df7f755d72"
-  integrity sha512-jXBtWAF4vmdNmZgD5FoKsVLv3rPgDnLgPbU84LIJ3otV44vJlDRokVng5v8NFJdCf/da9legHcKaRuZs4L7faA==
-  dependencies:
-    type-detect "4.0.8"
-
-"@sinonjs/commons@^3.0.1":
+"@sinonjs/commons@^3.0.0", "@sinonjs/commons@^3.0.1":
   version "3.0.1"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@sinonjs/commons/-/commons-3.0.1.tgz#1029357e44ca901a615585f6d27738dbc89084cd"
   integrity sha512-K3mCHKQ9sVh8o1C9cxkwxaOmXoAMlDxC1mYyHrjqOWEcBjYr76t96zL2zlj5dUGZ3HSw240X1qgH3Mjf1yJWpQ==