diff --git a/src/components/progress-circle/progress-circle.spec.ts b/src/components/progress-circle/progress-circle.spec.ts
index 63ccf546b817..dbbf6baa31f9 100644
--- a/src/components/progress-circle/progress-circle.spec.ts
+++ b/src/components/progress-circle/progress-circle.spec.ts
@@ -1,132 +1,101 @@
-import {inject, TestComponentBuilder, TestBed, async} from '@angular/core/testing';
-import {Component, DebugElement} from '@angular/core';
+import {TestBed, async} from '@angular/core/testing';
+import {Component} from '@angular/core';
 import {By} from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import {MdProgressCircleModule} from './progress-circle';
 
 
 describe('MdProgressCircular', () => {
-  let builder: TestComponentBuilder;
 
   beforeEach(async(() => {
     TestBed.configureTestingModule({
       imports: [MdProgressCircleModule],
-      declarations: [TestApp],
+      declarations: [
+        BasicProgressSpinner,
+        IndeterminateProgressSpinner,
+        ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode,
+        IndeterminateProgressSpinnerWithNgIf,
+      ],
     });
 
     TestBed.compileComponents();
   }));
 
-  beforeEach(inject([TestComponentBuilder], (tcb: TestComponentBuilder) => {
-    builder = tcb;
-  }));
+  it('should apply a mode of "determinate" if no mode is provided.', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(BasicProgressSpinner);
+      fixture.detectChanges();
 
-  it('should apply a mode of "determinate" if no mode is provided.', (done: () => void) => {
-    builder
-      .overrideTemplate(TestApp, '<md-progress-circle></md-progress-circle>')
-      .createAsync(TestApp)
-      .then((fixture) => {
-        fixture.detectChanges();
-        let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-        expect(progressElement.componentInstance.mode).toBe('determinate');
-        done();
-      });
+      let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+      expect(progressElement.componentInstance.mode).toBe('determinate');
   });
 
-  it('should not modify the mode if a valid mode is provided.', (done: () => void) => {
-    builder
-      .overrideTemplate(TestApp, '<md-progress-circle mode="indeterminate"></md-progress-circle>')
-      .createAsync(TestApp)
-      .then((fixture) => {
-        fixture.detectChanges();
-        let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-        expect(progressElement.componentInstance.mode).toBe('indeterminate');
-        done();
-      });
+  it('should not modify the mode if a valid mode is provided.', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(IndeterminateProgressSpinner);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.mode).toBe('indeterminate');
   });
 
-  it('should define a default value of undefined for the value attribute', (done: () => void) => {
-    builder
-      .overrideTemplate(TestApp, '<md-progress-circle></md-progress-circle>')
-      .createAsync(TestApp)
-      .then((fixture) => {
-        fixture.detectChanges();
-        let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-        expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBeUndefined();
-        done();
-      });
+  it('should define a default value of undefined for the value attribute', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(BasicProgressSpinner);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  it('should set the value to undefined when the mode is set to indeterminate',
-    (done: () => void) => {
-      builder
-        .overrideTemplate(TestApp, `<md-progress-circle value="50"
-                                                        [mode]="mode"></md-progress-circle>`)
-        .createAsync(TestApp)
-        .then((fixture) => {
-          let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-          fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'determinate';
-          fixture.detectChanges();
-          expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(50);
-          fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'indeterminate';
-          fixture.detectChanges();
-          expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(undefined);
-          done();
-        });
+  it('should set the value to undefined when the mode is set to indeterminate', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode);
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'determinate';
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(50);
+    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.mode = 'indeterminate';
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.value).toBe(undefined);
   });
 
-  it('should clamp the value of the progress between 0 and 100', (done: () => void) => {
-    builder
-      .overrideTemplate(TestApp, '<md-progress-circle></md-progress-circle>')
-      .createAsync(TestApp)
-      .then((fixture) => {
-        fixture.detectChanges();
-        let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-        let progressComponent = progressElement.componentInstance;
-
-        progressComponent.value = 50;
-        expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(50);
-
-        progressComponent.value = 999;
-        expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(100);
-
-        progressComponent.value = -10;
-        expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(0);
-        done();
-      });
+  it('should clamp the value of the progress between 0 and 100', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(BasicProgressSpinner);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+    let progressComponent = progressElement.componentInstance;
+
+    progressComponent.value = 50;
+    expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(50);
+
+    progressComponent.value = 999;
+    expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(100);
+
+    progressComponent.value = -10;
+    expect(progressComponent.value).toBe(0);
   });
 
-  it('should clean up the indeterminate animation when the element is destroyed',
-    (done: () => void) => {
-      let template = `<md-progress-circle
-                        mode="indeterminate"
-                        *ngIf="!isHidden"></md-progress-circle>`;
-
-      builder
-        .overrideTemplate(TestApp, template)
-        .createAsync(TestApp)
-        .then((fixture) => {
-          fixture.detectChanges();
-          let progressElement = getChildDebugElement(fixture.debugElement, 'md-progress-circle');
-          expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeTruthy();
-
-          fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
-          fixture.detectChanges();
-          expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeFalsy();
-          done();
-        });
-    });
+  it('should clean up the indeterminate animation when the element is destroyed', () => {
+    let fixture = TestBed.createComponent(IndeterminateProgressSpinnerWithNgIf);
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+
+    let progressElement = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('md-progress-circle'));
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeTruthy();
+
+    fixture.debugElement.componentInstance.isHidden = true;
+    fixture.detectChanges();
+    expect(progressElement.componentInstance.interdeterminateInterval).toBeFalsy();
+  });
 });
 
 
-/** Gets a child DebugElement by tag name. */
-function getChildDebugElement(parent: DebugElement, selector: string): DebugElement {
-  return parent.query(By.css(selector));
-}
+@Component({template: '<md-progress-circle></md-progress-circle>'})
+class BasicProgressSpinner { }
+
+@Component({template: '<md-progress-circle mode="indeterminate"></md-progress-circle>'})
+class IndeterminateProgressSpinner { }
 
+@Component({template: '<md-progress-circle value="50" [mode]="mode"></md-progress-circle>'})
+class ProgressSpinnerWithValueAndBoundMode { }
 
-/** Test component that contains an MdButton. */
-@Component({
-  template: '',
-})
-class TestApp {
-}
+@Component({template: `
+    <md-progress-circle mode="indeterminate" *ngIf="!isHidden"></md-progress-circle>`})
+class IndeterminateProgressSpinnerWithNgIf { }