diff --git a/src/finn/util/test.py b/src/finn/util/test.py
index 4cad01b1f7ec58da7ba6d5460c072faa01202c55..f29af66f52e18f8aeed87e19bfb52354ca1b73a7 100644
--- a/src/finn/util/test.py
+++ b/src/finn/util/test.py
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@
 # OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 
 from brevitas_examples import bnn_pynq
+import pytest
+import warnings
+from finn.core.modelwrapper import ModelWrapper
 
 # map of (wbits,abits) -> model
 example_map = {
@@ -61,3 +64,13 @@ def get_test_model_trained(netname, wbits, abits):
 def get_test_model_untrained(netname, wbits, abits):
     "get_test_model with pretrained=False"
     return get_test_model(netname, wbits, abits, pretrained=False)
+
+
+def load_test_checkpoint_or_skip(filename):
+    "Try to load given .onnx and return ModelWrapper, else skip current test."
+    try:
+        model = ModelWrapper(filename)
+        return model
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        warnings.warn(filename + " not found from previous test step, skipping")
+        pytest.skip(filename + " not found from previous test step, skipping")