diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index fd3b424..46447b4 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,12 +1,34 @@
 include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/../include/)
 include_directories(SYSTEM ${CATCH_INCLUDE})
 
-set(KAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE "kafka-vm:9092" 
+if (NOT KAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE)
+set(KAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE kafka-vm:9092
     CACHE STRING "The kafka instance to which to connect to run tests")
+endif()
+if (NOT KAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS)
+   set(KAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS 3 CACHE STRING "Kafka Number of partitions")
+endif()
+if (NOT KAFKA_TOPICS)
+   set(KAFKA_TOPICS "cppkafka_test1;cppkafka_test2" CACHE STRING "Kafka topics")
+endif()
+
+# Convert list of topics into a C++ initializer list
+FOREACH(TOPIC ${KAFKA_TOPICS})
+   if (NOT TOPIC_LIST)
+      set(TOPIC_LIST "\"${TOPIC}\"")
+   else()
+      set(TOPIC_LIST "${TOPIC_LIST},\"${TOPIC}\"")
+   endif()
+ENDFOREACH()
+
 add_custom_target(tests)
 
 include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR})
-add_definitions("-DKAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE=\"${KAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE}\"")
+add_definitions(
+  "-DKAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE=\"${KAFKA_TEST_INSTANCE}\""
+  -DKAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS=${KAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS}
+  -DKAFKA_TOPIC_NAMES=${TOPIC_LIST}
+)
 
 add_executable(cppkafka_tests
     buffer_test.cpp
@@ -25,6 +47,6 @@ add_executable(cppkafka_tests
 )
 
 # In CMake >= 3.15 Boost::boost == Boost::headers
-target_link_libraries(cppkafka_tests cppkafka RdKafka::rdkafka Boost::boost Boost::program_options )
+target_link_libraries(cppkafka_tests cppkafka RdKafka::rdkafka Boost::boost Boost::program_options)
 add_dependencies(tests cppkafka_tests)
 add_test(cppkafka cppkafka_tests)
diff --git a/tests/test_main.cpp b/tests/test_main.cpp
index 5c41d07..f46d0c2 100644
--- a/tests/test_main.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_main.cpp
@@ -15,8 +15,7 @@ using Catch::TestCaseStats;
 using Catch::Totals;
 using Catch::Session;
 
-std::vector<std::string> KAFKA_TOPICS = {"cppkafka_test1", "cppkafka_test2"};
-int KAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS = 3;
+std::vector<std::string> KAFKA_TOPICS = {KAFKA_TOPIC_NAMES};
 
 namespace cppkafka {
 
diff --git a/tests/test_utils.h b/tests/test_utils.h
index 030e1c0..f786d4f 100644
--- a/tests/test_utils.h
+++ b/tests/test_utils.h
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@
 #include "cppkafka/utils/consumer_dispatcher.h"
 
 extern const std::vector<std::string> KAFKA_TOPICS;
-extern const int KAFKA_NUM_PARTITIONS;
 
 using namespace cppkafka;