diff --git a/wetb/hawc2/tests/test_compare_test_cases.py b/wetb/hawc2/tests/test_compare_test_cases.py
index d73d5a907b88bbc57d8311fdc34e5299e101f78e..197f016ba337cf0cfcd81668c196d4f7ec0bee07 100644
--- a/wetb/hawc2/tests/test_compare_test_cases.py
+++ b/wetb/hawc2/tests/test_compare_test_cases.py
@@ -32,14 +32,19 @@ class TestCmpTestCases(CompareTestCases):
         self.compare_sel(self.ref_path + 'test3.sel', self.test_path + 'test3.sel')
 
     def test_compare_sel_difference(self):
-        self.assertRaises(AssertionError, "     2      bea1 angle                     deg        shaft_rot angle",
-                          self.compare_sel, self.ref_path + 'test4.sel', self.test_path + 'test4.sel')
+        self.assertRaises(AssertionError,# "     2      bea1 angle                     deg        shaft_rot angle",
+                          self.compare_sel, self.ref_path + 'test4.sel',
+                          self.test_path + 'test4.sel')
 
     def test_compare_contents_dat(self):
         self.compare_dat_contents(self.ref_path + 'test1.dat', self.test_path + 'test1.dat')
 
     def test_compare_dat_contents_difference(self):
-        self.assertRaises(AssertionError, "  2.00000E-02", self.compare_dat_contents, self.ref_path + 'test3.dat', self.test_path + 'test3.dat')
+        # FIXME: can we have something similar in PY2 that checks the error
+        # text as well?
+        self.assertRaises(AssertionError,# "  2.00000E-02",
+                          self.compare_dat_contents, self.ref_path + 'test3.dat',
+                          self.test_path + 'test3.dat')
 
     #def test_compare_plot_difference(self):
     #    self.assertRaises(AssertionError, "Difference in the the values of:\n1 Time", self.compare_dat_plot, self.ref_path + 'test3', self.test_path + 'test3')