I'm currently using the following pattern for my seam-tests (taken from the examples):

@Test
public void testCombinedQuery() throws Exception{
 new FacesRequest() {
 QueryManager queryManager;
 @Override
 protected void updateModelValues()
 {
 queryManager = (QueryManager)getInstance("queryManager");

 }

 @Override
 protected void renderResponse()
 {
 Query query = new Query();
 query.setDays("'DAY1', 'DAY2'");
 query.setTopics("'1','3'");
 int resultSize = queryManager.getNrOfQuestionsInQuery(query);
 assertEquals("Combined-Query did not return the correct Number of Questions", resultSize, COMBINEDQUERY_QUESTIONS);
 }
 }.run();
}

something without the code-overhead of the faces-request?!

For most of the tests, all I want to do is get a seam-object with proper injections and then invoke some methods on it and test the results. Is there a simpler way to achieve something in the line of:

@Test
public void testCombinedQuery(){
 queryManager = (QueryManager)getInstance("queryManager");
 Query query = new Query();
 query.setDays("'DAY1', 'DAY2'");
 query.setTopics("'1','3'");
 int resultSize = queryManager.getNrOfQuestionsInQuery(query);
 assertEquals("Combined-Query did not return the correct Number of Questions", resultSize, COMBINEDQUERY_QUESTIONS);

}

And another problem with testsuites: Two different testclasses in the same Test-Suite start/teardonw the embedded container twice - is there a way to have different tests in the same suite share the same embedded container?!