diff --git a/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/qmtest/test_hlt2_flavourtagging_sspiontagger.qmt b/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/qmtest/test_hlt2_flavourtagging_sspiontagger.qmt
index 99bad5f898966d57d59e5d0537227c268b5f8f47..1be7ce61cf5ef9b85162ea31b4fc0d95b3cfbc95 100644
--- a/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/qmtest/test_hlt2_flavourtagging_sspiontagger.qmt
+++ b/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/qmtest/test_hlt2_flavourtagging_sspiontagger.qmt
@@ -22,13 +22,13 @@ Check persist reco using real time reco.
 <argument name="reference"><text>../refs/hlt2_sspion_tagger_on_example_b2jpsik_lines.ref</text></argument>
 <argument name="validator"><text>
 
-from Moore.qmtest.exclusions import remove_known_warnings
+from Moore.qmtest.exclusions import remove_known_warnings, ref_preprocessor
 countErrorLines({"FATAL": 0, "ERROR": 0},
                 stdout=remove_known_warnings(stdout))
 
-from Moore.qmtest.exclusions import skip_initialize, skip_scheduler, remove_known_fluctuating_counters                                                      
-from GaudiConf.QMTest.LHCbExclusions import preprocessor as LHCbPreprocessor                                                                                
-validateWithReference(preproc = skip_initialize + LHCbPreprocessor + skip_scheduler, counter_preproc = remove_known_fluctuating_counters)
+from Moore.qmtest.exclusions import skip_initialize, skip_scheduler, counter_preprocessor
+from GaudiConf.QMTest.LHCbExclusions import preprocessor as LHCbPreprocessor
+validateWithReference(preproc = ref_preprocessor + remove_known_warnings, counter_preproc = counter_preprocessor)
 
 </text></argument>
 </extension>
diff --git a/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/empty.ref b/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/empty.ref
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391
diff --git a/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/hlt2_sspion_tagger_on_example_b2jpsik_lines.ref b/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/hlt2_sspion_tagger_on_example_b2jpsik_lines.ref
index 467d705ea8a52df75d7f3c803bec535a445ef4b2..892d6a78edd96bf3e9286c43d4a5868246eef543 100644
--- a/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/hlt2_sspion_tagger_on_example_b2jpsik_lines.ref
+++ b/Hlt/Hlt2Conf/tests/refs/hlt2_sspion_tagger_on_example_b2jpsik_lines.ref
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-ApplicationMgr                         INFO Application Manager Stopped successfully
 CopyInputStream                        INFO Events output: 32
 ToolSvc                                INFO Removing all tools created by ToolSvc
 ApplicationMgr                         INFO Application Manager Finalized successfully