diff --git a/base/test.jl b/base/test.jl
index 586f5767906ef..7d23115354bbd 100644
--- a/base/test.jl
+++ b/base/test.jl
@@ -827,10 +827,11 @@ approx_full(x) = full(x)
 function test_approx_eq(va, vb, Eps, astr, bstr)
     va = approx_full(va)
     vb = approx_full(vb)
-    if length(va) != length(vb)
+    la, lb = length(linearindices(va)), length(linearindices(vb))
+    if la != lb
         error("lengths of ", astr, " and ", bstr, " do not match: ",
-              "\n  ", astr, " (length $(length(va))) = ", va,
-              "\n  ", bstr, " (length $(length(vb))) = ", vb)
+              "\n  ", astr, " (length $la) = ", va,
+              "\n  ", bstr, " (length $lb) = ", vb)
     end
     diff = real(zero(eltype(va)))
     for (xa, xb) = zip(va, vb)
@@ -856,7 +857,7 @@ array_eps{T}(a::AbstractArray{Complex{T}}) = eps(float(maximum(x->(isfinite(x) ?
 array_eps(a) = eps(float(maximum(x->(isfinite(x) ? abs(x) : oftype(x,NaN)), a)))
 
 test_approx_eq(va, vb, astr, bstr) =
-    test_approx_eq(va, vb, 1E4*length(va)*max(array_eps(va), array_eps(vb)), astr, bstr)
+    test_approx_eq(va, vb, 1E4*length(linearindices(va))*max(array_eps(va), array_eps(vb)), astr, bstr)
 
 """
     @test_approx_eq_eps(a, b, tol)
@@ -966,10 +967,10 @@ end
 # nothing.
 function test_approx_eq_modphase{S<:Real,T<:Real}(
         a::StridedVecOrMat{S}, b::StridedVecOrMat{T}, err=nothing)
-    m, n = size(a)
-    @test n==size(b, 2) && m==size(b, 1)
+    @test indices(a,1) == indices(b,1) && indices(a,2) == indices(b,2)
+    m = length(indices(a,1))
     err === nothing && (err=m^3*(eps(S)+eps(T)))
-    for i=1:n
+    for i in indices(a,2)
         v1, v2 = a[:, i], b[:, i]
         @test_approx_eq_eps min(abs(norm(v1-v2)), abs(norm(v1+v2))) 0.0 err
     end
diff --git a/test/offsetarray.jl b/test/offsetarray.jl
index d7ebf5a66fd6e..4289aa523fe17 100644
--- a/test/offsetarray.jl
+++ b/test/offsetarray.jl
@@ -339,9 +339,11 @@ am = map(identity, a)
 
 # other functions
 v = OffsetArray(v0, (-3,))
+@test_approx_eq v v
 @test parent(v') == v0'
 @test indices(v') === (1:1,-2:1)
 A = OffsetArray(rand(4,4), (-3,5))
+@test_approx_eq A A
 @test maximum(A) == maximum(parent(A))
 @test minimum(A) == minimum(parent(A))
 @test extrema(A) == extrema(parent(A))