diff --git a/test/easyblocks/init_easyblocks.py b/test/easyblocks/init_easyblocks.py
index ea569e0307..62f968edd4 100644
--- a/test/easyblocks/init_easyblocks.py
+++ b/test/easyblocks/init_easyblocks.py
@@ -189,6 +189,10 @@ def check_extra_options_format(extra_options):
 
 def suite():
     """Return all easyblock initialisation tests."""
+    def make_inner_test(easyblock, **kwargs):
+        def innertest(self):
+            template_init_test(self, easyblock, **kwargs)
+        return innertest
 
     # dynamically generate a separate test for each of the available easyblocks
     easyblocks_path = get_paths_for("easyblocks")[0]
@@ -199,18 +203,16 @@ def suite():
         # dynamically define new inner functions that can be added as class methods to InitTest
         if os.path.basename(easyblock) == 'systemcompiler.py':
             # use GCC as name when testing SystemCompiler easyblock
-            code = "def innertest(self): template_init_test(self, '%s', name='GCC', version='system')" % easyblock
+            innertest = make_inner_test(easyblock, name='GCC', version='system')
         elif os.path.basename(easyblock) == 'systemmpi.py':
             # use OpenMPI as name when testing SystemMPI easyblock
-            code = "def innertest(self): template_init_test(self, '%s', name='OpenMPI', version='system')" % easyblock
+            innertest = make_inner_test(easyblock, name='OpenMPI', version='system')
         else:
-            code = "def innertest(self): template_init_test(self, '%s')" % easyblock
+            innertest = make_inner_test(easyblock)
 
-        exec(code, globals())
-
-        innertest.__doc__ = "Test for initialisation of easyblock %s" % easyblock  # noqa
-        innertest.__name__ = "test_easyblock_%s" % '_'.join(easyblock.replace('.py', '').split('/'))  # noqa
-        setattr(InitTest, innertest.__name__, innertest)  # noqa
+        innertest.__doc__ = "Test for initialisation of easyblock %s" % easyblock
+        innertest.__name__ = "test_easyblock_%s" % '_'.join(easyblock.replace('.py', '').split('/'))
+        setattr(InitTest, innertest.__name__, innertest)
 
     return TestLoader().loadTestsFromTestCase(InitTest)