diff --git a/Installation/cmake/modules/CGAL_add_test.cmake b/Installation/cmake/modules/CGAL_add_test.cmake
index 61cf34357ec..7090304dc26 100644
--- a/Installation/cmake/modules/CGAL_add_test.cmake
+++ b/Installation/cmake/modules/CGAL_add_test.cmake
@@ -84,7 +84,9 @@ function(cgal_add_compilation_test exe_name)
       APPEND PROPERTY LABELS "${PROJECT_NAME}")
     set_property(TEST "compilation_of__${exe_name}"
       APPEND PROPERTY FIXTURES_REQUIRED "check_build_system_SetupFixture")
-  elseif(NOT TEST compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME})#CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND
+  elseif(NOT TARGET compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME})#CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND
+    #this target is just a flag, to deal with the scope problem with the tests
+    add_custom_target(compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME})
     add_test(NAME "compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME}"
       COMMAND ${TIME_COMMAND} "${CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND}" "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/${PROJECT_NAME}.sln" "-m:$ENV{NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}" "/t:Build" "/p:Configuration=$<CONFIG>")
     set_property(TEST "compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME}"
@@ -93,6 +95,13 @@ function(cgal_add_compilation_test exe_name)
       APPEND PROPERTY FIXTURES_REQUIRED "check_build_system_SetupFixture")
     set_tests_properties("compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME}"
       PROPERTIES RUN_SERIAL TRUE)
+    #because of the scope of the tests, this part cannot go in the relevant CMakeLists
+    if("${PROJECT_NAME}" STREQUAL "Polyhedron_Demo")
+      set_tests_properties(compilation_of__Polyhedron_Demo PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 2400)
+    elseif("${PROJECT_NAME}" STREQUAL "Mesh_3_Tests" OR "${PROJECT_NAME}" STREQUAL "Mesh_3_Examples")
+      set_tests_properties(compilation_of__${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 1600)
+    endif()
+
   endif()#CMAKE_VS_MSBUILD_COMMAND
   if(NOT TARGET ALL_CGAL_TARGETS)
     add_custom_target( ALL_CGAL_TARGETS )
diff --git a/Scripts/developer_scripts/run_testsuite_with_ctest b/Scripts/developer_scripts/run_testsuite_with_ctest
index bfca26d788b..6c022542520 100644
--- a/Scripts/developer_scripts/run_testsuite_with_ctest
+++ b/Scripts/developer_scripts/run_testsuite_with_ctest
@@ -259,8 +259,8 @@ run_test_on_platform()
   cd "${CGAL_BINARY_DIR}"
   log "${ACTUAL_LOGFILE}.test.${PLATFORM}" "Testing on host ${HOST} and platform ${PLATFORM}"
 
-  if [ -f "${REFERENCE_PLATFORMS_DIR}/${PLATFORM}/setup" ]; then
-    source "${REFERENCE_PLATFORMS_DIR}/${PLATFORM}/setup"
+  if [ -f "${CGAL_HOME}/${REFERENCE_PLATFORMS_DIR}/${PLATFORM}/setup" ]; then
+    source "${CGAL_HOME}/${REFERENCE_PLATFORMS_DIR}/${PLATFORM}/setup"
   else
     INIT_FILE="${CGAL_HOME}/${REFERENCE_PLATFORMS_DIR}/${PLATFORM}.cmake"
   fi
@@ -295,27 +295,14 @@ run_test_on_platform()
   echo "SET(CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_PASSED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE 1000000000)" > CTestCustom.cmake
   echo "SET(CTEST_CUSTOM_MAXIMUM_FAILED_TEST_OUTPUT_SIZE 1000000000)" >> CTestCustom.cmake
 
-  CTEST_OPTS="-T Start -T Test --timeout 1200  ${DO_NOT_TEST:+-E execution___of__}"
-  FULL_OPTS=${CTEST_OPTS}
-  echo "NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS = ${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS}"
+  CTEST_OPTS="-T Start -T Test --timeout 1200 ${DO_NOT_TEST:+-E execution___of__}"
   if uname | grep -q "CYGWIN"; then
     CTEST_OPTS="-C ${CONFIG_TYPE} ${CTEST_OPTS}"
-    FULL_OPTS="${CTEST_OPTS} -LE Polyhedron_Demo -V"
   fi
   if [ -z "${SHOW_PROGRESS}" ]; then
-    ctest ${TO_TEST:+-L ${TO_TEST} } ${FULL_OPTS} -j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .}> tmp.txt
-    if uname | grep -q "CYGWIN"; then
-          if [[ $TO_TEST == *"Polyhedron_Demo"* ]]; then
-        ctest ${CTEST_OPTS} -L Polyhedron_Demo ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .}>> tmp.txt
-      fi
-    fi
+    ctest ${TO_TEST:+-L ${TO_TEST} } ${CTEST_OPTS} -j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .}>tmp.txt
   else
-    ctest ${TO_TEST:+-L ${TO_TEST} } -j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} ${FULL_OPTS} ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .} |tee tmp.txt
-    if uname | grep -q "CYGWIN"; then
-          if [[ $TO_TEST == *"Polyhedron_Demo"* ]]; then
-        ctest ${CTEST_OPTS} -L Polyhedron_Demo ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .} |tee -a tmp.txt
-          fi
-    fi
+    ctest ${TO_TEST:+-L ${TO_TEST} } ${CTEST_OPTS} -j${NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS} ${KEEP_TESTS:+-FC .}|tee tmp.txt
   fi
   #####################
   ##   GET RESULTS   ##