diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 625d2f4c077d..67333fe3b2a4 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -48,26 +48,26 @@ env:
     - PYTEST_ARGS="-ra --maxfail=1 --timeout=300 --durations=25 --cov-report= --cov=lib -n $NPROC"
     - PYTHON_ARGS=
     - DELETE_FONT_CACHE=
-    - USE_PYTEST=false
 
 matrix:
   include:
     - python: 2.7
-      env: MOCK=mock NUMPY=numpy==1.7.1
+      env: MOCK=mock NUMPY=numpy==1.7.1 PANDAS=pandas
+    - python: 2.7
+      env: BUILD_DOCS=true
     - python: 3.4
       env: PYTHON_ARGS=-OO
     - python: 3.5
       env: BUILD_DOCS=true
-    - python: 3.5
-      env: USE_PYTEST=true PANDAS=pandas DELETE_FONT_CACHE=1
     - python: 3.6
-      env: USE_PYTEST=true DELETE_FONT_CACHE=1 INSTALL_PEP8=pytest-pep8 RUN_PEP8=--pep8
+      env: DELETE_FONT_CACHE=1 INSTALL_PEP8=pytest-pep8 RUN_PEP8=--pep8
     - python: "nightly"
       env: PRE=--pre
     - os: osx
       osx_image: xcode7.3
       language: generic  # https://github.com/travis-ci/travis-ci/issues/2312
       env: MOCK=mock
+      only: master
       cache:
         # As for now travis caches only "$HOME/.cache/pip"
         # https://docs.travis-ci.com/user/caching/#pip-cache
@@ -138,47 +138,7 @@ install:
     # Install matplotlib
     pip install -ve .
 
-script:
-  # The number of processes is hardcoded, because using too many causes the
-  # Travis VM to run out of memory (since so many copies of inkscape and
-  # ghostscript are running at the same time).
-  - |
-    echo Testing import of tkagg backend
-    MPLBACKEND="tkagg" python -c 'import matplotlib.pyplot as plt; print(plt.get_backend())'
-    if [[ $BUILD_DOCS == false ]]; then
-      if [[ $DELETE_FONT_CACHE == 1 ]]; then
-        rm -rf ~/.cache/matplotlib
-      fi
-      # Workaround for pytest-xdist flaky collection order
-      # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/920
-      # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/1075
-      export PYTHONHASHSEED=$(python -c 'import random; print(random.randint(1, 4294967295))')
-      echo PYTHONHASHSEED=$PYTHONHASHSEED
-
-      echo The following args are passed to pytest $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
-      if [[ $USE_PYTEST == false ]]; then
-        if [[ $TRAVIS_OS_NAME == 'osx' ]]; then
-          python tests.py $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
-        else
-          gdb -return-child-result -batch -ex r -ex bt --args python $PYTHON_ARGS tests.py $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
-        fi
-      else
-        py.test $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
-      fi
-    else
-      cd doc
-      python make.py html -n 2
-      # We don't build the LaTeX docs here, so linkchecker will complain
-      touch build/html/Matplotlib.pdf
-      # Linkchecker only works with python 2.7 for the time being
-      deactivate
-      source ~/virtualenv/python2.7/bin/activate
-      pip install pip --upgrade
-      # linkchecker is currently broken with requests 2.10.0 so force an earlier version
-      pip install $PRE requests==2.9.2 linkchecker
-      linkchecker build/html/index.html
-    fi
-
+script: source ci/travis/test_script.sh
 before_cache:
   - rm -rf $HOME/.cache/matplotlib/tex.cache
   - rm -rf $HOME/.cache/matplotlib/test_cache
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 653e7d5ebd00..84595bd4c56d 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ environment:
     # Workaround for https://github.com/conda/conda-build/issues/636
     PYTHONIOENCODING: "UTF-8"
     PYTEST_ARGS: -ra --timeout=300 --durations=25 -n %NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS% --cov-report= --cov=lib -m "not network"
-    USE_PYTEST: no
     PYTHONHASHSEED: 0  # Workaround for pytest-xdist flaky collection order
                        # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/920
                        # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/1075
@@ -37,13 +36,6 @@ environment:
       PYTHON_VERSION: "3.5"
       TEST_ALL: "no"
       CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN: "C:\\Miniconda35-x64"
-    - TARGET_ARCH: "x64"
-      CONDA_PY: "35"
-      CONDA_NPY: "110"
-      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.5"
-      TEST_ALL: "no"
-      CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN: "C:\\Miniconda35-x64"
-      USE_PYTEST: yes
     - TARGET_ARCH: "x86"
       CONDA_PY: "27"
       CONDA_NPY: "18"
@@ -68,7 +60,7 @@ cache:
   - '%USERPROFILE%\.cache\matplotlib'
 
 init:
-  - cmd: "ECHO %PYTHON_VERSION% PYTEST=%USE_PYTEST% %CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN%"
+  - cmd: "ECHO %PYTHON_VERSION% %CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN%"
 
 install:
   - cmd: set PATH=%CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN%;%CONDA_INSTALL_LOCN%\scripts;%PATH%;
@@ -140,8 +132,7 @@ test_script:
   - python -c "import matplotlib as m; m.use('tkagg'); import matplotlib.pyplot as plt; print(plt.get_backend())"
   # tests
   - echo The following args are passed to pytest %PYTEST_ARGS%
-  - if x%USE_PYTEST% == xyes py.test %PYTEST_ARGS%
-  - if x%USE_PYTEST% == xno python tests.py %PYTEST_ARGS%
+  - python tests.py %PYTEST_ARGS%
   # Generate a html for visual tests
   - python visual_tests.py
   - pip install codecov
diff --git a/ci/travis/test_script.sh b/ci/travis/test_script.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..21ee11fee066
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/travis/test_script.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#! /bin/bash
+
+# This script is meant to be called by the "script" step defined in
+# .travis.yml. See http://docs.travis-ci.com/ for more details.
+# The behavior of the script is controlled by environment variabled defined
+# in the .travis.yml in the top level folder of the project.
+
+# The number of processes is hardcoded, because using too many causes the
+# Travis VM to run out of memory (since so many copies of inkscape and
+# ghostscript are running at the same time).
+
+echo Testing import of tkagg backend
+MPLBACKEND="tkagg" python -c 'import matplotlib.pyplot as plt; print(plt.get_backend())'
+
+if [[ $BUILD_DOCS == false ]]; then
+  if [[ $DELETE_FONT_CACHE == 1 ]]; then
+    rm -rf ~/.cache/matplotlib
+  fi
+  # Workaround for pytest-xdist flaky collection order
+  # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/920
+  # https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/1075
+  export PYTHONHASHSEED=$(python -c 'import random; print(random.randint(1, 4294967295))')
+  echo PYTHONHASHSEED=$PYTHONHASHSEED
+
+  echo The following args are passed to pytest $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
+  if [[ $TRAVIS_OS_NAME == 'osx' ]]; then
+    python tests.py $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
+  else
+    gdb -return-child-result -batch -ex r -ex bt --args python $PYTHON_ARGS tests.py $PYTEST_ARGS $RUN_PEP8
+  fi
+else
+  cd doc
+  python make.py html -n 2
+  # We don't build the LaTeX docs here, so linkchecker will complain
+  touch build/html/Matplotlib.pdf
+  # Linkchecker only works with python 2.7 for the time being
+  deactivate
+  source ~/virtualenv/python2.7/bin/activate
+  pip install pip --upgrade
+  # linkchecker is currently broken with requests 2.10.0 so force an earlier version
+  pip install $PRE requests==2.9.2 linkchecker
+  linkchecker build/html/index.html
+fi