diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1ce405f15..0b006b4fd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -202,9 +202,9 @@ To execute Telegraf tests follow these simple steps:
 - Install docker compose following [these](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) instructions
     - NOTE: mac users should be able to simply do `brew install boot2docker`
       and `brew install docker-compose`
-
-execute `make test`
+- execute `make test`
 
 ### Unit test troubleshooting:
 
-Try killing your docker containers via `docker-compose kill` and then re-running
+Try cleaning up your test environment by executing `make test-cleanup` and
+re-running
diff --git a/circle.yml b/circle.yml
index d505706f7..3b9888ffd 100644
--- a/circle.yml
+++ b/circle.yml
@@ -20,5 +20,5 @@ test:
     - golint testutil/...
     - golint cmd/...
     # Run short unit tests
-    - go test -v -short ./...
+    - make test-short
     # TODO run full unit test suite
diff --git a/plugins/system/ps/cpu/cpu_test.go b/plugins/system/ps/cpu/cpu_test.go
index b1cffb543..f75dbf101 100644
--- a/plugins/system/ps/cpu/cpu_test.go
+++ b/plugins/system/ps/cpu/cpu_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package cpu
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"runtime"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -94,5 +95,10 @@ func TestCPUPercent(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCPUPercentPerCpu(t *testing.T) {
+	// Skip Per-CPU tests when running from a Circle CI container,
+	// see: https://github.com/golang/go/issues/11609
+	if os.Getenv("CIRCLE_BUILD_NUM") != "" {
+		t.Skip("Detected that we are in a circleci container, skipping Per-CPU tests")
+	}
 	testCPUPercent(t, true)
 }