diff --git a/schema_salad/tests/test_errors.py b/schema_salad/tests/test_errors.py
index 79f3d6035..25a5eea8c 100644
--- a/schema_salad/tests/test_errors.py
+++ b/schema_salad/tests/test_errors.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from .util import get_data
 import unittest
 from typing import cast
 from schema_salad.schema import load_schema, load_and_validate
@@ -7,7 +8,7 @@
 class TestErrors(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_errors(self):
         document_loader, avsc_names, schema_metadata, metaschema_loader = load_schema(
-            u"schema_salad/tests/test_schema/CommonWorkflowLanguage.yml")
+            get_data(u"tests/test_schema/CommonWorkflowLanguage.yml"))
         avsc_names = cast(Names, avsc_names)
 
         for t in ("test_schema/test1.cwl",
@@ -23,7 +24,8 @@ def test_errors(self):
                   "test_schema/test11.cwl"):
             with self.assertRaises(ValidationException):
                 try:
-                    load_and_validate(document_loader, avsc_names, unicode("schema_salad/tests/"+t), True)
+                    load_and_validate(document_loader, avsc_names,
+                            unicode(get_data("tests/"+t)), True)
                 except ValidationException as e:
                     print "\n", e
                     raise
diff --git a/schema_salad/tests/test_examples.py b/schema_salad/tests/test_examples.py
index 9191f515c..949bc6767 100644
--- a/schema_salad/tests/test_examples.py
+++ b/schema_salad/tests/test_examples.py
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
+from .util import get_data
 import unittest
 import schema_salad.ref_resolver
 import schema_salad.main
 import schema_salad.schema
 from schema_salad.jsonld_context import makerdf
-from pkg_resources import Requirement, resource_filename, ResolutionError  # type: ignore
 import rdflib
 import ruamel.yaml
 import json
@@ -17,17 +17,6 @@
 
 from ruamel.yaml.comments import CommentedSeq, CommentedMap
 
-def get_data(filename):
-    filepath = None
-    try:
-        filepath = resource_filename(
-            Requirement.parse("schema-salad"), filename)
-    except ResolutionError:
-        pass
-    if not filepath or not os.path.isfile(filepath):
-        filepath = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.pardir, filename)
-    return filepath
-
 
 class TestSchemas(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_schemas(self):
@@ -370,7 +359,7 @@ def test_mixin(self):
 
     def test_fragment(self):
         ldr = schema_salad.ref_resolver.Loader({"id": "@id"})
-        b, _ = ldr.resolve_ref("schema_salad/tests/frag.yml#foo2")
+        b, _ = ldr.resolve_ref(get_data("tests/frag.yml#foo2"))
         self.assertEquals({"id": b["id"], "bar":"b2"}, b)
 
 
diff --git a/schema_salad/tests/util.py b/schema_salad/tests/util.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0fcaf526e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schema_salad/tests/util.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+from pkg_resources import Requirement, resource_filename, ResolutionError  # type: ignore
+import os
+
+def get_data(filename):
+    filepath = None
+    try:
+        filepath = resource_filename(
+            Requirement.parse("schema-salad"), filename)
+    except ResolutionError:
+        pass
+    if not filepath or not os.path.isfile(filepath):
+        filepath = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.pardir, filename)
+    return filepath