diff --git a/stages/test/test_kickstart.py b/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
index 31318d24..45d8956e 100644
--- a/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
+++ b/stages/test/test_kickstart.py
@@ -58,13 +58,17 @@ TEST_INPUT = [
         + "user --name someusr --password $1$notreally --iscrypted --shell /bin/ksh --uid 1337 --gid 1337 --groups grp1,grp2 --homedir /other/home/someusr\n"
         + 'sshkey --username someusr "ssh-rsa not-really-a-real-key"',
     ),
-    ({"zerombr": "true"}, "zerombr"),
+    ({"zerombr": True}, "zerombr"),
     ({"clearpart": {"all": True}}, "clearpart --all"),
     (
-        {"clearpart": {"drives": ["hda", "hdb"]}},
-        "clearpart --drives=hda,hdb",
+        {"clearpart": {"drives": ["sd*|hd*|vda", "/dev/vdc"]}},
+        "clearpart --drives=sd*|hd*|vda,/dev/vdc",
     ),
     ({"clearpart": {"drives": ["hda"]}}, "clearpart --drives=hda"),
+    (
+        {"clearpart": {"drives": ["disk/by-id/scsi-58095BEC5510947BE8C0360F604351918"]}},
+        "clearpart --drives=disk/by-id/scsi-58095BEC5510947BE8C0360F604351918"
+    ),
     ({"clearpart": {"list": ["sda2", "sda3"]}}, "clearpart --list=sda2,sda3"),
     ({"clearpart": {"list": ["sda2"]}}, "clearpart --list=sda2"),
     (
@@ -104,6 +108,28 @@ TEST_INPUT = [
 ]
 
 
+def schema_validate_kickstart_stage(test_data):
+    name = "org.osbuild.kickstart"
+    root = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../..")
+    mod_info = osbuild.meta.ModuleInfo.load(root, "Stage", name)
+    schema = osbuild.meta.Schema(mod_info.get_schema(), name)
+    test_input = {
+        "name": "org.osbuild.kickstart",
+        "options": {
+            "path": "some-path",
+        }
+    }
+    test_input["options"].update(test_data)
+    return schema.validate(test_input)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("test_input,expected", TEST_INPUT)
+def test_kickstart_test_cases_valid(test_input, expected):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
+    """ ensure all test inputs are valid """
+    res = schema_validate_kickstart_stage(test_input)
+    assert res.valid is True, f"input: {test_input}\nerr: {[e.as_dict() for e in res.errors]}"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("test_input,expected", TEST_INPUT)
 def test_kickstart_write(tmp_path, test_input, expected):
     ks_stage_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../org.osbuild.kickstart")
@@ -156,33 +182,12 @@ def test_kickstart_valid(tmp_path, test_input, expected):  # pylint: disable=unu
         ({"reboot": {}}, "{} is not valid under any of the given schemas"),
         ({"reboot": "random-string"}, "'random-string' is not valid "),
         ({"reboot": {"random": "option"}}, "{'random': 'option'} is not valid "),
-        # GOOD pattern we want to keep working
-        ({"clearpart": {"drives": ["sd*|hd*|vda", "/dev/vdc"]}}, ""),
-        ({"clearpart": {"drives": ["disk/by-id/scsi-58095BEC5510947BE8C0360F604351918"]}}, ""),
-        ({"clearpart": {"list": ["sda2", "sda3", "sdb1"]}}, ""),
-        ({"reboot": True}, ""),
-        ({"reboot": {"kexec": False}}, ""),
     ],
 )
-def test_schema_validation_smoke(test_data, expected_err):
-    name = "org.osbuild.kickstart"
-    root = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "../..")
-    mod_info = osbuild.meta.ModuleInfo.load(root, "Stage", name)
-    schema = osbuild.meta.Schema(mod_info.get_schema(), name)
+def test_schema_validation_bad_apples(test_data, expected_err):
+    res = schema_validate_kickstart_stage(test_data)
 
-    test_input = {
-        "name": "org.osbuild.kickstart",
-        "options": {
-            "path": "some-path",
-        },
-    }
-    test_input["options"].update(test_data)
-    res = schema.validate(test_input)
-
-    if expected_err == "":
-        assert res.valid is True, f"err: {[e.as_dict() for e in res.errors]}"
-    else:
-        assert res.valid is False
-        assert len(res.errors) == 1
-        err_msgs = [e.as_dict()["message"] for e in res.errors]
-        assert expected_err in err_msgs[0]
+    assert res.valid is False
+    assert len(res.errors) == 1
+    err_msgs = [e.as_dict()["message"] for e in res.errors]
+    assert expected_err in err_msgs[0]