diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/BUILD b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/BUILD
index 4d4644fa3d2..4d3ba384b82 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/BUILD
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/BUILD
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ go_test(
         "token_test.go",
         "version_test.go",
     ],
-    args = ["--kubeadm-path=$(location //cmd/kubeadm:kubeadm)"],
     data = ["//cmd/kubeadm"] + glob(["testdata/**"]),
     embed = [":go_default_library"],
     tags = [
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/completion_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/completion_test.go
index d5dc7bd5179..f61372fc112 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/completion_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/completion_test.go
@@ -20,12 +20,6 @@ import "testing"
 
 func TestCmdCompletion(t *testing.T) {
 	kubeadmPath := getKubeadmPath()
-
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var tests = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/init_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/init_test.go
index e51c944599a..888e92df5a6 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/init_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/init_test.go
@@ -37,11 +37,6 @@ func runKubeadmInit(args ...string) (string, string, int, error) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdInitToken(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	initTest := []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -86,11 +81,6 @@ func TestCmdInitToken(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdInitKubernetesVersion(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	initTest := []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -130,11 +120,6 @@ func TestCmdInitKubernetesVersion(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdInitConfig(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	initTest := []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -214,11 +199,6 @@ func TestCmdInitConfig(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdInitCertPhaseCSR(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	tests := []struct {
 		name          string
 		baseName      string
@@ -279,11 +259,6 @@ func TestCmdInitCertPhaseCSR(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdInitAPIPort(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	initTest := []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -339,11 +314,6 @@ func TestCmdInitAPIPort(t *testing.T) {
 func TestCmdInitFeatureGates(t *testing.T) {
 	const PanicExitcode = 2
 
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	initTest := []struct {
 		name string
 		args string
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/join_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/join_test.go
index e4c8efdbce2..3d5c70605f5 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/join_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/join_test.go
@@ -26,11 +26,6 @@ func kubeadmReset() error {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinConfig(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -59,11 +54,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinConfig(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinDiscoveryFile(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -92,11 +82,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinDiscoveryFile(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinDiscoveryToken(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -125,11 +110,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinDiscoveryToken(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinNodeName(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -157,11 +137,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinNodeName(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinTLSBootstrapToken(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -190,11 +165,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinTLSBootstrapToken(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinToken(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -223,11 +193,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinToken(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinBadArgs(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	kubeadmPath := getKubeadmPath()
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
@@ -256,11 +221,6 @@ func TestCmdJoinBadArgs(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdJoinArgsMixed(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var initTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/token_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/token_test.go
index 7d61a519db1..9a1b8964940 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/token_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/token_test.go
@@ -17,10 +17,6 @@ limitations under the License.
 package kubeadm
 
 import (
-	"flag"
-	"os"
-	"path"
-	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -29,25 +25,8 @@ const (
 	TokenExpectedRegex = "^\\S{6}\\.\\S{16}\n$"
 )
 
-var kubeadmPathFlag = flag.String("kubeadm-path", filepath.Join(os.Getenv("KUBE_ROOT"), "cluster/kubeadm.sh"), "Location of kubeadm")
-
-func getKubeadmPath() string {
-	kubeadmPath := *kubeadmPathFlag // TEST_SRCDIR is provided by Bazel.
-	if srcDir := os.Getenv("TEST_SRCDIR"); srcDir != "" {
-		kubeadmPath = path.Join(srcDir, os.Getenv("TEST_WORKSPACE"), kubeadmPath)
-	}
-
-	return kubeadmPath
-}
-
-var kubeadmCmdSkip = flag.Bool("kubeadm-cmd-skip", false, "Skip kubeadm cmd tests")
-
 func TestCmdTokenGenerate(t *testing.T) {
 	kubeadmPath := getKubeadmPath()
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
 	stdout, _, _, err := RunCmd(kubeadmPath, "token", "generate")
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("'kubeadm token generate' exited uncleanly: %v", err)
@@ -72,11 +51,6 @@ func TestCmdTokenGenerateTypoError(t *testing.T) {
 		with a non-zero status code after showing the command's usage, so that
 		the usage itself isn't captured as a token without the user noticing.
 	*/
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	kubeadmPath := getKubeadmPath()
 	_, _, _, err := RunCmd(kubeadmPath, "token", "genorate") // subtle typo
 	if err == nil {
@@ -84,11 +58,6 @@ func TestCmdTokenGenerateTypoError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 func TestCmdTokenDelete(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var tests = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/util.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/util.go
index babf6684a90..2c33f99cbc5 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/util.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/util.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package kubeadm
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -79,3 +80,13 @@ func getSubCommand(t *testing.T, subCmds []*cobra.Command, name string) *cobra.C
 
 	return nil
 }
+
+// getKubeadmPath returns the contents of the environment variable KUBEADM_PATH
+// or panics if it's empty
+func getKubeadmPath() string {
+	kubeadmPath := os.Getenv("KUBEADM_PATH")
+	if len(kubeadmPath) == 0 {
+		panic("the environment variable KUBEADM_PATH must point to the kubeadm binary path")
+	}
+	return kubeadmPath
+}
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/version_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/version_test.go
index 98511b6aa6a..cf0211dcafa 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/version_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/test/cmd/version_test.go
@@ -34,11 +34,6 @@ var (
 )
 
 func TestCmdVersion(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var versionTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string
@@ -78,11 +73,6 @@ func TestCmdVersion(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestCmdVersionOutputJsonOrYaml(t *testing.T) {
-	if *kubeadmCmdSkip {
-		t.Log("kubeadm cmd tests being skipped")
-		t.Skip()
-	}
-
 	var versionTest = []struct {
 		name     string
 		args     string