diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
index 6a0166e57d2..06814273da6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/patch_test.go
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ testCases:
 
 func TestSortMergeLists(t *testing.T) {
 	mergeItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
 	}
 	schemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		mergeItemStructSchema,
@@ -673,7 +673,7 @@ mergingList:
 
 func TestCustomStrategicMergePatch(t *testing.T) {
 	mergeItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
 	}
 	schemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		mergeItemStructSchema,
@@ -6029,7 +6029,7 @@ func TestStrategicMergePatch(t *testing.T) {
 		"{}", "{}", []byte("<THIS IS NOT A STRUCT>"), mergepatch.ErrBadArgKind(struct{}{}, []byte{}))
 
 	mergeItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
 	}
 	schemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		mergeItemStructSchema,
@@ -6413,7 +6413,7 @@ func TestNumberConversion(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	precisionItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakePrecisionItemSchema, "precisionItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakePrecisionItemSchema, "precisionItem"),
 	}
 	precisionItemSchemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		precisionItemStructSchema,
@@ -6623,7 +6623,7 @@ replacingItem:
 
 func TestReplaceWithRawExtension(t *testing.T) {
 	mergeItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
 	}
 	schemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		mergeItemStructSchema,
@@ -6695,7 +6695,7 @@ func TestUnknownField(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	mergeItemOpenapiSchema := PatchMetaFromOpenAPI{
-		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
+		Schema: sptest.GetSchemaOrDie(&fakeMergeItemSchema, "mergeItem"),
 	}
 	schemas := []LookupPatchMeta{
 		mergeItemStructSchema,
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/testing/openapi.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/testing/openapi.go
index 68b5e196bcb..0aafc2c479d 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/testing/openapi.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/strategicpatch/testing/openapi.go
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ func (f *Fake) OpenAPISchema() (*openapi_v2.Document, error) {
 	return f.document, f.err
 }
 
-func getSchema(f Fake, model string) (openapi.Schema, error) {
+func getSchema(f *Fake, model string) (openapi.Schema, error) {
 	s, err := f.OpenAPISchema()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func getSchema(f Fake, model string) (openapi.Schema, error) {
 }
 
 // GetSchemaOrDie returns the openapi schema.
-func GetSchemaOrDie(f Fake, model string) openapi.Schema {
+func GetSchemaOrDie(f *Fake, model string) openapi.Schema {
 	s, err := getSchema(f, model)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)