diff --git a/src/cargo/core/manifest.rs b/src/cargo/core/manifest.rs
index 14087106492..c4940455d25 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/manifest.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/manifest.rs
@@ -173,6 +173,7 @@ pub struct Profiles {
     pub doc: Profile,
     pub custom_build: Profile,
     pub check: Profile,
+    pub check_test: Profile,
     pub doctest: Profile,
 }
 
@@ -604,6 +605,14 @@ impl Profile {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn default_check_test() -> Profile {
+        Profile {
+            check: true,
+            test: true,
+            ..Profile::default_dev()
+        }
+    }
+
     pub fn default_doctest() -> Profile {
         Profile {
             doc: true,
diff --git a/src/cargo/core/workspace.rs b/src/cargo/core/workspace.rs
index 6486233a8d0..2714affbe40 100644
--- a/src/cargo/core/workspace.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/core/workspace.rs
@@ -524,6 +524,7 @@ impl<'cfg> Workspace<'cfg> {
                 doc: Profile::default_doc(),
                 custom_build: Profile::default_custom_build(),
                 check: Profile::default_check(),
+                check_test: Profile::default_check_test(),
                 doctest: Profile::default_doctest(),
             };
 
diff --git a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_clean.rs b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_clean.rs
index b7c214a75d9..2456be0e7c4 100644
--- a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_clean.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_clean.rs
@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ pub fn clean(ws: &Workspace, opts: &CleanOptions) -> CargoResult<()> {
                 let Profiles {
                     ref release, ref dev, ref test, ref bench, ref doc,
                     ref custom_build, ref test_deps, ref bench_deps, ref check,
-                    ref doctest,
+                    ref check_test, ref doctest,
                 } = *profiles;
                 let profiles = [release, dev, test, bench, doc, custom_build,
-                                test_deps, bench_deps, check, doctest];
+                                test_deps, bench_deps, check, check_test, doctest];
                 for profile in profiles.iter() {
                     units.push(Unit {
                         pkg: &pkg,
diff --git a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
index 8506a4523a3..d4b6923f9d3 100644
--- a/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/ops/cargo_compile.rs
@@ -557,11 +557,25 @@ fn generate_targets<'a>(pkg: &'a Package,
                         -> CargoResult<Vec<(&'a Target, &'a Profile)>> {
     let build = if release {&profiles.release} else {&profiles.dev};
     let test = if release {&profiles.bench} else {&profiles.test};
+
+    let is_check_test = match *filter {
+        CompileFilter::Everything { .. } => false,
+        CompileFilter::Only { tests, .. } => match tests {
+            FilterRule::All => {
+                match mode {
+                    CompileMode::Check => true,
+                    _ => false,
+                }
+            },
+            FilterRule::Just(_) => false,
+        },
+    };
+
     let profile = match mode {
         CompileMode::Test => test,
         CompileMode::Bench => &profiles.bench,
         CompileMode::Build => build,
-        CompileMode::Check => &profiles.check,
+        CompileMode::Check => if is_check_test { &profiles.check_test } else { &profiles.check },
         CompileMode::Doc { .. } => &profiles.doc,
         CompileMode::Doctest => &profiles.doctest,
     };
@@ -578,7 +592,7 @@ fn generate_targets<'a>(pkg: &'a Package,
         CompileFilter::Only { lib, bins, examples, tests, benches } => {
             let mut targets = Vec::new();
 
-            if lib {
+            if lib || is_check_test {
                 if let Some(t) = pkg.targets().iter().find(|t| t.is_lib()) {
                     targets.push(BuildProposal {
                         target: t,
diff --git a/src/cargo/util/toml.rs b/src/cargo/util/toml.rs
index 0c0646fe25e..2d7c77471a0 100644
--- a/src/cargo/util/toml.rs
+++ b/src/cargo/util/toml.rs
@@ -1570,6 +1570,8 @@ fn build_profiles(profiles: &Option<TomlProfiles>) -> Profiles {
         custom_build: Profile::default_custom_build(),
         check: merge(Profile::default_check(),
                      profiles.and_then(|p| p.dev.as_ref())),
+        check_test: merge(Profile::default_check_test(),
+                          profiles.and_then(|p| p.dev.as_ref())),
         doctest: Profile::default_doctest(),
     };
     // The test/bench targets cannot have panic=abort because they'll all get
diff --git a/tests/check.rs b/tests/check.rs
index 09ebfb0ac44..d55183f5bbc 100644
--- a/tests/check.rs
+++ b/tests/check.rs
@@ -393,3 +393,85 @@ fn check_all() {
         .with_stderr_contains("[..] --crate-name b b[/]src[/]main.rs [..]")
         );
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn check_unit_test_implicit() {
+    let foo = project("foo")
+        .file("Cargo.toml", r#"
+            [package]
+            name = "foo"
+            version = "0.0.1"
+            authors = []
+        "#)
+        .file("src/lib.rs", r#"
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            mod tests {
+                fn test_fn(string: String) {
+                    println!("{}", string);
+                }
+
+                #[test]
+                fn it_works() {
+                    test_fn(1);
+                }
+            }
+        "#);
+
+    assert_that(foo.cargo_process("check"),
+                execs().with_status(0));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn check_unit_test_explicit() {
+    let foo = project("foo")
+        .file("Cargo.toml", r#"
+            [package]
+            name = "foo"
+            version = "0.0.1"
+            authors = []
+        "#)
+        .file("src/lib.rs", r#"
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            mod tests {
+                fn test_fn(string: String) {
+                    println!("{}", string);
+                }
+
+                #[test]
+                fn it_works() {
+                    test_fn(1);
+                }
+            }
+        "#);
+
+    assert_that(foo.cargo_process("check").arg("--tests"),
+                execs().with_status(101));
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn check_unit_test_specific() {
+    let foo = project("foo")
+        .file("Cargo.toml", r#"
+            [package]
+            name = "foo"
+            version = "0.0.1"
+            authors = []
+        "#)
+        .file("src/lib.rs", r#"
+            #[cfg(test)]
+            mod tests {
+                fn test_fn(string: String) {
+                    println!("{}", string);
+                }
+
+                #[test]
+                fn it_works() {
+                    test_fn(1);
+                }
+            }
+        "#)
+        .file("tests/a.rs", "");
+
+    assert_that(foo.cargo_process("check").arg("--test").arg("a"),
+                execs().with_status(0));
+}
\ No newline at end of file