diff --git a/tests/test-pthread-split.c b/tests/test-pthread-split.c
index 8f7661a..55576b0 100644
--- a/tests/test-pthread-split.c
+++ b/tests/test-pthread-split.c
@@ -4,13 +4,24 @@
 #include "quo-vadis-pthread.h"
 #include "qvi-test-common.h"
 
+typedef struct {
+    qv_scope_t *scope;
+    int answer;
+} thargs_t;
+
 void *
 thread_work(
     void *arg
 ) {
     char const *ers = NULL;
     const pid_t tid = qvi_test_gettid();
-    qv_scope_t *scope = (qv_scope_t *)arg;
+    thargs_t *thargs = (thargs_t *)arg;
+
+    qv_scope_t *scope = thargs->scope;
+    if (thargs->answer != 42) {
+        ers = "user arguments not forwarded!";
+        qvi_test_panic("%s", ers);
+    }
 
     char *binds = NULL;
     int rc = qv_scope_bind_string(scope, QV_BIND_STRING_AS_LIST, &binds);
@@ -30,9 +41,7 @@ main(void)
 {
     char const *ers = NULL;
     const pid_t tid = qvi_test_gettid();
-    MPI_Comm comm = MPI_COMM_WORLD;
     int wrank, wsize;
-    int n_cores = 0;
 
     int rc = MPI_Init(NULL, NULL);
     if (rc != MPI_SUCCESS) {
@@ -40,6 +49,7 @@ main(void)
         qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%d)", ers, rc);
     }
 
+    MPI_Comm comm = MPI_COMM_WORLD;
     rc = MPI_Comm_size(comm, &wsize);
     if (rc != MPI_SUCCESS) {
         ers = "MPI_Comm_size() failed";
@@ -63,43 +73,53 @@ main(void)
         qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, qv_strerr(rc));
     }
 
-    rc = qv_scope_nobjs(mpi_scope, QV_HW_OBJ_CORE, &n_cores);
+    int ncores = 0;
+    rc = qv_scope_nobjs(mpi_scope, QV_HW_OBJ_CORE, &ncores);
     if (rc != QV_SUCCESS) {
         ers = "qv_scope_nobjs() failed";
         qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, qv_strerr(rc));
     }
 
     //test qv_pthread_scope_split
-    int npieces  = n_cores / 2;
-    int nthreads = n_cores;
+    int npieces  = ncores / 2;
+    int nthreads = ncores;
 
     fprintf(stdout,"[%d] ====== Testing thread_scope_split (number of threads : %i)\n", tid, nthreads);
 
     int colors[nthreads];
-    for(int i = 0 ; i < nthreads ; i++) {
+    for (int i = 0 ; i < nthreads ; i++) {
         colors[i] = i % npieces;
     }
 
     qv_scope_t **th_scopes = NULL;
-    rc = qv_pthread_scope_split(mpi_scope, npieces, colors, nthreads, &th_scopes);
+    rc = qv_pthread_scope_split(
+        mpi_scope, npieces, colors, nthreads, &th_scopes
+    );
     if (rc != QV_SUCCESS) {
         ers = "qv_pthread_scope_split() failed";
         qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, qv_strerr(rc));
     }
 
+    thargs_t thargs[nthreads];
+    for (int i = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++) {
+        thargs[i].scope = th_scopes[i];
+        thargs[i].answer = 42;
+    }
+
     pthread_t thid[nthreads];
     pthread_attr_t *attr = NULL;
-
     for (int i = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++) {
-        //sleep(1);
-        if (qv_pthread_create(&thid[i], attr, thread_work, (void *)(th_scopes[i]), th_scopes[i]) != 0) {
-            perror("pthread_create() error");
-            exit(1);
+        const int ptrc = qv_pthread_create(
+            &thid[i], attr, thread_work, &thargs[i], th_scopes[i]
+        );
+        if (ptrc != 0) {
+            ers = "qv_pthread_create() failed";
+            qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, strerror(rc));
         }
     }
 
-    void *ret;
-    for(int i  = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++){
+    void *ret = NULL;
+    for (int i  = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++){
         if (pthread_join(thid[i], &ret) != 0) {
             perror("pthread_create() error");
             exit(3);
@@ -115,29 +135,41 @@ main(void)
     }
 
     //Test qv_pthread_scope_split_at
-    nthreads = 2*n_cores;
+    nthreads = 2 * ncores;
 
     fprintf(stdout,"[%d] ====== Testing thread_scope_split_at (number of threads : %i)\n", tid, nthreads);
 
     int colors2[nthreads];
-    for(int i = 0 ; i < nthreads ; i++)
-        colors2[i] = i%n_cores;
+    for (int i = 0 ; i < nthreads ; i++) {
+        colors2[i] = i % ncores;
+    }
 
-    rc = qv_pthread_scope_split_at(mpi_scope, QV_HW_OBJ_CORE, colors2, nthreads, &th_scopes);
+    rc = qv_pthread_scope_split_at(
+        mpi_scope, QV_HW_OBJ_CORE, colors2, nthreads, &th_scopes
+    );
     if (rc != QV_SUCCESS) {
         ers = "qv_pthread_scope_split_at() failed";
         qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, qv_strerr(rc));
     }
 
+    thargs_t thargs2[nthreads];
+    for (int i = 0 ; i < nthreads; i++) {
+        thargs2[i].scope = th_scopes[i];
+        thargs2[i].answer = 42;
+    }
+
     pthread_t thid2[nthreads];
     for(int i  = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++){
-        if (qv_pthread_create(&thid2[i], attr, thread_work, (void *)(th_scopes[i]), th_scopes[i]) != 0) {
-            perror("pthread_create() error");
-            exit(1);
+        const int ptrc = qv_pthread_create(
+            &thid2[i], attr, thread_work, &thargs2[i], th_scopes[i]
+        );
+        if (ptrc != 0) {
+            ers = "qv_pthread_create() failed";
+            qvi_test_panic("%s (rc=%s)", ers, strerror(rc));
         }
     }
 
-    for(int i  = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++) {
+    for (int i  = 0 ; i < nthreads; i ++) {
         if (pthread_join(thid2[i], &ret) != 0) {
             perror("pthread_create() error");
             exit(3);