diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/pom.xml b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/pom.xml
index 3da636bb6c3..a0d1d06bfc6 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/pom.xml
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/pom.xml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 	<properties>
 		<extra.vmargs.indexer.timeout></extra.vmargs.indexer.timeout>
 		<extra.vmargs.displayhelper.timeoutmultipler></extra.vmargs.displayhelper.timeoutmultipler>
+		<skipTests>${cdt-ui.skip.tests}</skipTests>
 	</properties>
 
 	<!-- Uncommenting this is useful when the repo is built first then you want to run tests on this plugin only -->
diff --git a/dsf-gdb/org.eclipse.cdt.tests.dsf.gdb/pom.xml b/dsf-gdb/org.eclipse.cdt.tests.dsf.gdb/pom.xml
index 7a7196a1f0f..864953dc122 100644
--- a/dsf-gdb/org.eclipse.cdt.tests.dsf.gdb/pom.xml
+++ b/dsf-gdb/org.eclipse.cdt.tests.dsf.gdb/pom.xml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 		<dsf.gdb.tests.gdbTestSuite>AutomatedSuite.java</dsf.gdb.tests.gdbTestSuite>
 		<dsf.gdb.tests.timeout.multiplier>1</dsf.gdb.tests.timeout.multiplier>
 		<cdt.tests.dsf.gdb.versions>gdb.7.12</cdt.tests.dsf.gdb.versions>
+		<skipTests>${dsf-gdb.skip.tests}</skipTests>
 	</properties>
 	<build>
 		<plugins>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 05033bd0ec3..b88e31639a7 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@
 		<help-docs-eclipserun-repo>http://download.eclipse.org/eclipse/updates/4.5</help-docs-eclipserun-repo>
 		<tycho.scmUrl>scm:git:git://git.eclipse.org/gitroot/cdt/org.eclipse.cdt.git</tycho.scmUrl>
 		<base.test.vmargs>-Xms256m -Xmx512m -ea</base.test.vmargs>
+
+		<!-- By default cdt-other.skip.tests will be false as none of
+		     the skip-tests profiles will be activated. When one is
+		     activated, this allows us to skip all other cdt tests not
+		     explicitly skipped further down the pom hierarchy.
+		     Recall that the command line will take precedence, so
+		     -DskipTests will override anything else as normal maven
+		     users expect. -->
+		<skipTests>${cdt-other.skip.tests}</skipTests>
 	</properties>
 
 	<licenses>
@@ -181,6 +190,35 @@
 				</plugins>
 			</build>
 		</profile>
+		<profile>
+			<id>skip-all-tests</id>
+			<properties>
+				<cdt-ui.skip.tests>true</cdt-ui.skip.tests>
+				<dsf-gdb.skip.tests>true</dsf-gdb.skip.tests>
+				<cdt-other.skip.tests>true</cdt-other.skip.tests>
+			</properties>
+		</profile>
+		<profile>
+			<id>skip-tests-except-cdt-ui</id>
+			<properties>
+				<dsf-gdb.skip.tests>true</dsf-gdb.skip.tests>
+				<cdt-other.skip.tests>true</cdt-other.skip.tests>
+			</properties>
+		</profile>
+		<profile>
+			<id>skip-tests-except-dsf-gdb</id>
+			<properties>
+				<cdt-ui.skip.tests>true</cdt-ui.skip.tests>
+				<cdt-other.skip.tests>true</cdt-other.skip.tests>
+			</properties>
+		</profile>
+		<profile>
+			<id>skip-tests-except-cdt-other</id>
+			<properties>
+				<cdt-ui.skip.tests>true</cdt-ui.skip.tests>
+				<dsf-gdb.skip.tests>true</dsf-gdb.skip.tests>
+			</properties>
+		</profile>
 		<profile>
 			<id>production</id>
 			<build>