diff --git a/tests/geo/surface_test_helpers.py b/tests/geo/surface_test_helpers.py
index fe9c12933..6b0d6205b 100644
--- a/tests/geo/surface_test_helpers.py
+++ b/tests/geo/surface_test_helpers.py
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ def get_exact_surface(surface_type='SurfaceXYZFourier'):
     return s
 
 
-def get_boozer_surface(label="Volume", nphi=None, ntheta=None, boozer_type='exact', optimize_G=True):
+def get_boozer_surface(label="Volume", nphi=None, ntheta=None, boozer_type='exact', optimize_G=True, converge=True, stellsym=True):
     """
     Returns a boozer surface that will be used in unit tests.
     """
@@ -90,7 +90,6 @@ def get_boozer_surface(label="Volume", nphi=None, ntheta=None, boozer_type='exac
     ## RESOLUTION DETAILS OF SURFACE ON WHICH WE OPTIMIZE FOR QA
     mpol = 6 if boozer_type == 'exact' else 3
     ntor = 6 if boozer_type == 'exact' else 3
-    stellsym = True
     nfp = 3
     
     if boozer_type == 'exact':
@@ -122,9 +121,7 @@ def get_boozer_surface(label="Volume", nphi=None, ntheta=None, boozer_type='exac
     ## COMPUTE THE SURFACE
     cw = None if boozer_type == 'exact' else 100.
     boozer_surface = BoozerSurface(bs, s, lab, lab_target, constraint_weight=cw)
-    boozer_surface.run_code(boozer_type, iota, G=G0, verbose=True)
-
-    #res = boozer_surface.solve_residual_equation_exactly_newton(tol=1e-13, maxiter=20, iota=iota, G=G0)
-    #print(f"NEWTON {res['success']}: iter={res['iter']}, iota={res['iota']:.3f}, vol={s.volume():.3f}")
+    if converge:
+        boozer_surface.run_code(boozer_type, iota, G=G0, verbose=True)
 
     return bs, boozer_surface
diff --git a/tests/geo/test_surface_objectives.py b/tests/geo/test_surface_objectives.py
index 5e3d184b7..42d8545d0 100644
--- a/tests/geo/test_surface_objectives.py
+++ b/tests/geo/test_surface_objectives.py
@@ -385,11 +385,15 @@ def df(dofs):
 class LabelTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_label_surface_derivative1(self):
         for label in ["Volume", "ToroidalFlux", "Area", "AspectRatio"]:
-            with self.subTest(label=label):
-                self.subtest_label_derivative1(label)
-
-    def subtest_label_derivative1(self, label):
-        bs, boozer_surface = get_boozer_surface(label=label, nphi=13, ntheta=14)
+            for stellsym in stellsym_list:
+                for nphi, ntheta in [(13, 14), (None, None), (13, None), (None, 14)]:
+                    with self.subTest(label=label, stellsym=stellsym, converge=stellsym):
+                        # don't converge the BoozerSurface when stellsym=False because it takes a long time
+                        # for a unit test
+                        self.subtest_label_derivative1(label, stellsym=stellsym, converge=stellsym, nphi=nphi, ntheta=ntheta)
+
+    def subtest_label_derivative1(self, label, stellsym, converge, nphi, ntheta):
+        bs, boozer_surface = get_boozer_surface(label=label, nphi=nphi, ntheta=ntheta, converge=converge, stellsym=stellsym)
         surface = boozer_surface.surface
         label = boozer_surface.label
         coeffs = surface.x
@@ -406,7 +410,7 @@ def df(dofs):
                      epsilons=np.power(2., -np.asarray(range(13, 19))))
 
     def test_label_surface_derivative2(self):
-        for label in ["Volume", "ToroidalFlux", "Area"]:
+        for label in ["Volume", "ToroidalFlux", "Area", "AspectRatio"]:
             with self.subTest(label=label):
                 self.subtest_label_derivative2(label)