Incorrect code... add self.user instead of user Change from: def test_entry_shows_up(self): entry = Entry.objects.create(author=user, title="My entry title") <===== change this rendered = self.TEMPLATE.render(Context({})) self.assertIn(entry.title, rendered) to: def test_entry_shows_up(self): entry = Entry.objects.create(author=self.user, title="My entry title") <===== to this rendered = self.TEMPLATE.render(Context({})) self.assertIn(entry.title, rendered)