diff --git a/test/prefix.bats b/test/prefix.bats
index 0d6cdba6..3fb94086 100644
--- a/test/prefix.bats
+++ b/test/prefix.bats
@@ -25,15 +25,6 @@ load test_helper
 }
 
 @test "prefix for invalid system" {
-  USRBIN_ALT="${RBENV_TEST_DIR}/usr-bin-alt"
-  mkdir -p "$USRBIN_ALT"
-  for util in head readlink greadlink; do
-    if [ -x "/usr/bin/$util" ]; then
-      ln -s "/usr/bin/$util" "${USRBIN_ALT}/$util"
-    fi
-  done
-  PATH_WITHOUT_RUBY="${PATH/\/usr\/bin:/$USRBIN_ALT:}"
-
-  PATH="$PATH_WITHOUT_RUBY" run rbenv-prefix system
+  PATH="$(path_without ruby)" run rbenv-prefix system
   assert_failure "rbenv: system version not found in PATH"
 }
diff --git a/test/test_helper.bash b/test/test_helper.bash
index 43b04d3b..53ae8e64 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.bash
+++ b/test/test_helper.bash
@@ -93,3 +93,25 @@ assert() {
     flunk "failed: $@"
   fi
 }
+
+# Output a modified PATH that ensures that the given executable is not present,
+# but in which system utils necessary for rbenv operation are still available.
+path_without() {
+  local exe="$1"
+  local path="${PATH}:"
+  local found alt util
+  for found in $(which -a "$exe"); do
+    found="${found%/*}"
+    if [ "$found" != "${RBENV_ROOT}/shims" ]; then
+      alt="${RBENV_TEST_DIR}/$(echo "${found#/}" | tr '/' '-')"
+      mkdir -p "$alt"
+      for util in bash head cut readlink greadlink; do
+        if [ -x "${found}/$util" ]; then
+          ln -s "${found}/$util" "${alt}/$util"
+        fi
+      done
+      path="${path/${found}:/${alt}:}"
+    fi
+  done
+  echo "${path%:}"
+}