diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/i18n.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/i18n.js
index 54a4de8a8a..829c851150 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/i18n.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/i18n.js
@@ -30,14 +30,6 @@ var window = jsdom.jsdom().defaultView;
 global.$ = require('jquery')(window);
 var _ = global._;
 
-// When writing these tests, the following command might be helpful:
-// ./tools/get-handlebar-vars static/templates/*.handlebars
-
-function render(template_name, args) {
-    global.use_template(template_name);
-    return global.templates.render(template_name, args);
-}
-
 (function test_t_tag() {
     var args = {
         "message": {
@@ -53,7 +45,7 @@ function render(template_name, args) {
     };
 
     var html = '<div style="height: 250px">';
-    html += render('actions_popover_content', args);
+    html += global.render_template('actions_popover_content', args);
     html += "</div>";
     var link = $(html).find("a.respond_button");
     assert.equal(link.text().trim(), 'French');
@@ -84,10 +76,10 @@ function render(template_name, args) {
     };
 
     fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, "../../static/templates/", "settings")).forEach(function (o) {
-        render(o.replace(/\.handlebars/, ""));
+        global.render_template(o.replace(/\.handlebars/, ""));
     });
 
-    var html = render('settings_tab', args);
+    var html = global.render_template('settings_tab', args);
     var div = $(html).find("div.notification-reminder");
     assert.equal(div.text().trim(), 'Some French text with Zulip');
     global.write_test_output("test_tr_tag settings", html);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence_list_performance.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence_list_performance.js
index 69cfb21f27..8ad0892b32 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence_list_performance.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence_list_performance.js
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ $.fn.expectOne = function () {
     return this;
 };
 
-global.use_template('user_presence_row');
-global.use_template('user_presence_rows');
+global.compile_template('user_presence_row');
+global.compile_template('user_presence_rows');
 
 var people = require("js/people.js");
 var activity = require('js/activity.js');
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_list.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_list.js
index 67e45ce07b..2dddd5f9c4 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_list.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_list.js
@@ -29,10 +29,10 @@ $.fn.expectOne = function () {
     return this;
 };
 
-global.use_template('sidebar_private_message_list');
-global.use_template('stream_sidebar_row');
-global.use_template('stream_privacy');
-global.use_template('topic_list_item');
+global.compile_template('sidebar_private_message_list');
+global.compile_template('stream_sidebar_row');
+global.compile_template('stream_privacy');
+global.compile_template('topic_list_item');
 
 (function test_topic_list_build_widget() {
     var stream = "devel";
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/templates.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/templates.js
index 23032a8a88..abfa29a6e3 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/templates.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/templates.js
@@ -32,10 +32,7 @@ var _ = global._;
 // ./tools/get-handlebar-vars static/templates/*.handlebars
 
 function render(template_name, args) {
-    global.partial_finder(template_name, function (name) {
-        global.use_template(name);
-    });
-    return global.templates.render(template_name, args);
+    return global.render_template(template_name, args);
 }
 
 fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, "../../static/templates/", "settings")).forEach(function (o) {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
index b1fdcbf3d0..35bee2a7c6 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ global.stub_out_jquery = namespace.stub_out_jquery;
 
 // Set up helpers to render templates.
 var render = require('./render.js');
-global.use_template = render.use_template;
 global.make_sure_all_templates_have_been_compiled = render.make_sure_all_templates_have_been_compiled;
-global.partial_finder = render.partial_finder;
 global.find_included_partials = render.find_included_partials;
+global.compile_template = render.compile_template;
+global.render_template = render.render_template;
 global.walk = render.walk;
 
 // Set up helpers to output HTML
diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/render.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/render.js
index 6fcd127553..04d816cdd7 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/render.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/render.js
@@ -35,7 +35,18 @@ exports.make_sure_all_templates_have_been_compiled = function () {
     });
 };
 
-exports.use_template = function (name) {
+exports.render_template = function (name, args) {
+    exports.compile_template(name);
+    return global.templates.render(name, args);
+};
+
+exports.compile_template = function (name) {
+    var included_fns = exports.find_included_partials(name);
+
+    _.each(included_fns, function (fn) {
+        exports.compile_template(fn);
+    });
+
     if (Handlebars.templates === undefined) {
         Handlebars.templates = {};
     }
@@ -138,38 +149,6 @@ exports.find_included_partials = function (name) {
     return lst;
 };
 
-exports.partial_finder = (function () {
-    var meta = {
-        read: []
-    };
-
-    // this is the external function that is called that will recursively search
-    // for partials in a file and partials inside partials until it finds them all.
-    // it then adds them to a maintenance list of already read partials so that
-    // they don't have to be read/searched again.
-    var __prototype__ = function (name, callback) {
-        if (meta.read.indexOf(name) === -1) {
-            if (callback) {
-                callback(name);
-            }
-
-            meta.read.push(name);
-            var included_fns = exports.find_included_partials(name);
-
-            _.each(included_fns, function (fn) {
-                __prototype__(fn, callback);
-            });
-
-        }
-    };
-
-    return __prototype__;
-}());
-
-fs.readdirSync(path.join(__dirname, "../../static/templates/", "settings")).forEach(function (o) {
-    exports.use_template(o.replace(/\.handlebars/, ""));
-});
-
 return exports;
 }());
 module.exports = render;