diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/cm/topologymanager/policy_test.go b/pkg/kubelet/cm/topologymanager/policy_test.go
index 5e8a61b6394..d00ff1ca851 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/cm/topologymanager/policy_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/cm/topologymanager/policy_test.go
@@ -30,14 +30,6 @@ type policyMergeTestCase struct {
 
 func commonPolicyMergeTestCases(numaNodes []int) []policyMergeTestCase {
 	return []policyMergeTestCase{
-		{
-			name: "TopologyHint not set",
-			hp:   []HintProvider{},
-			expected: TopologyHint{
-				NUMANodeAffinity: NewTestBitMask(numaNodes...),
-				Preferred:        true,
-			},
-		},
 		{
 			name: "HintProvider returns empty non-nil map[string][]TopologyHint",
 			hp: []HintProvider{
@@ -520,6 +512,14 @@ func commonPolicyMergeTestCases(numaNodes []int) []policyMergeTestCase {
 
 func (p *bestEffortPolicy) mergeTestCases(numaNodes []int) []policyMergeTestCase {
 	return []policyMergeTestCase{
+		{
+			name: "TopologyHint not set",
+			hp:   []HintProvider{},
+			expected: TopologyHint{
+				NUMANodeAffinity: NewTestBitMask(numaNodes...),
+				Preferred:        true,
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "Two providers, 1 hint each, 1 wider mask, both preferred 1/2",
 			hp: []HintProvider{
@@ -583,6 +583,14 @@ func (p *bestEffortPolicy) mergeTestCases(numaNodes []int) []policyMergeTestCase
 
 func (p *singleNumaNodePolicy) mergeTestCases(numaNodes []int) []policyMergeTestCase {
 	return []policyMergeTestCase{
+		{
+			name: "TopologyHint not set",
+			hp:   []HintProvider{},
+			expected: TopologyHint{
+				NUMANodeAffinity: nil,
+				Preferred:        true,
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "Single NUMA hint generation",
 			hp: []HintProvider{