diff --git a/tests/api.c b/tests/api.c
index 0340372e9..96ff2966f 100644
--- a/tests/api.c
+++ b/tests/api.c
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@
 #include "wolfssl/internal.h" /* for testing SSL_get_peer_cert_chain */
 #endif
 
-/* enable testing buffer load functions */
+/* force enable test buffers */
 #ifndef USE_CERT_BUFFERS_2048
     #define USE_CERT_BUFFERS_2048
 #endif
@@ -15686,57 +15686,89 @@ static void test_wolfSSL_private_keys(void)
 
 static void test_wolfSSL_PEM_PrivateKey(void)
 {
-    #if defined(OPENSSL_EXTRA) && !defined(NO_CERTS) && \
-       !defined(NO_FILESYSTEM) && !defined(NO_RSA)   && \
-       (defined(WOLFSSL_KEY_GEN) || defined(WOLFSSL_CERT_GEN)) && \
-       defined(USE_CERT_BUFFERS_2048)
-    const unsigned char* server_key = (const unsigned char*)server_key_der_2048;
+#if defined(OPENSSL_EXTRA) && !defined(NO_CERTS) && \
+   !defined(NO_FILESYSTEM) && !defined(NO_RSA)   && \
+    defined(USE_CERT_BUFFERS_2048)
+
     EVP_PKEY* pkey  = NULL;
-    EVP_PKEY* pkey2 = NULL;
-    BIO*      bio;
-    unsigned char extra[10];
-    int i;
-
-    printf(testingFmt, "wolfSSL_PEM_PrivateKey()");
-
-    XMEMSET(extra, 0, sizeof(extra));
-    AssertNotNull(bio = wolfSSL_BIO_new(wolfSSL_BIO_s_mem()));
-    AssertIntEQ(BIO_set_write_buf_size(bio, 4096), SSL_FAILURE);
-
-    AssertNull(d2i_PrivateKey(EVP_PKEY_EC, &pkey,
-            &server_key, (long)sizeof_server_key_der_2048));
-    AssertNull(pkey);
-
-    AssertNotNull(wolfSSL_d2i_PrivateKey(EVP_PKEY_RSA, &pkey,
-            &server_key, (long)sizeof_server_key_der_2048));
-    AssertIntEQ(PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(bio, pkey, NULL, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL),
-            WOLFSSL_SUCCESS);
+    const unsigned char* server_key = (const unsigned char*)server_key_der_2048;
 
     /* test creating new EVP_PKEY with bad arg */
-    AssertNull((pkey2 = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
+    AssertNull((pkey = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
 
-    /* test creating new EVP_PKEY with good args */
-    AssertNotNull((pkey2 = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
-    AssertIntEQ((int)XMEMCMP(pkey->pkey.ptr, pkey2->pkey.ptr, pkey->pkey_sz),0);
+#if !defined(NO_FILESYSTEM)
+    {
+        BIO*  bio;
+        XFILE file;
+        const char* fname = "./certs/server-key.pem";
+        size_t sz;
+        byte* buf;
 
-    /* test of reuse of EVP_PKEY */
-    AssertNull(PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, &pkey, NULL, NULL));
-    AssertIntEQ(BIO_pending(bio), 0);
-    AssertIntEQ(PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(bio, pkey, NULL, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL),
-            SSL_SUCCESS);
-    AssertIntEQ(BIO_write(bio, extra, 10), 10); /*add 10 extra bytes after PEM*/
-    AssertNotNull(PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, &pkey, NULL, NULL));
-    AssertNotNull(pkey);
-    AssertIntEQ((int)XMEMCMP(pkey->pkey.ptr, pkey2->pkey.ptr, pkey->pkey_sz),0);
-    AssertIntEQ(BIO_pending(bio), 10); /* check 10 extra bytes still there */
-    AssertIntEQ(BIO_read(bio, extra, 10), 10);
-    for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
-        AssertIntEQ(extra[i], 0);
+        file = XFOPEN(fname, "rb");
+        AssertTrue((file != XBADFILE));
+        XFSEEK(file, 0, XSEEK_END);
+        sz = XFTELL(file);
+        XREWIND(file);
+        AssertNotNull(buf = (byte*)XMALLOC(sz, NULL, DYNAMIC_TYPE_FILE));
+        AssertIntEQ(XFREAD(buf, 1, sz, file), sz);
+        XFCLOSE(file);
+
+        /* Test using BIO new mem and loading PEM private key */
+        AssertNotNull(bio = BIO_new_mem_buf(buf, (int)sz));
+        AssertNotNull((pkey = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
+        XFREE(buf, NULL, DYNAMIC_TYPE_FILE);
+        BIO_free(bio);
+        EVP_PKEY_free(pkey);
     }
+#endif
 
-    BIO_free(bio);
-    EVP_PKEY_free(pkey);
-    EVP_PKEY_free(pkey2);
+#if (defined(WOLFSSL_KEY_GEN) || defined(WOLFSSL_CERT_GEN))
+    {
+        BIO*      bio;
+        EVP_PKEY* pkey2 = NULL;
+        unsigned char extra[10];
+        int i;
+
+        printf(testingFmt, "wolfSSL_PEM_PrivateKey()");
+
+        XMEMSET(extra, 0, sizeof(extra));
+
+        AssertNotNull(bio = wolfSSL_BIO_new(wolfSSL_BIO_s_mem()));
+        AssertIntEQ(BIO_set_write_buf_size(bio, 4096), SSL_FAILURE);
+
+        AssertNull(d2i_PrivateKey(EVP_PKEY_EC, &pkey,
+                &server_key, (long)sizeof_server_key_der_2048));
+        AssertNull(pkey);
+
+        AssertNotNull(wolfSSL_d2i_PrivateKey(EVP_PKEY_RSA, &pkey,
+                &server_key, (long)sizeof_server_key_der_2048));
+        AssertIntEQ(PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(bio, pkey, NULL, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL),
+                WOLFSSL_SUCCESS);
+
+        /* test creating new EVP_PKEY with good args */
+        AssertNotNull((pkey2 = PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, NULL, NULL, NULL)));
+        AssertIntEQ((int)XMEMCMP(pkey->pkey.ptr, pkey2->pkey.ptr, pkey->pkey_sz),0);
+
+        /* test of reuse of EVP_PKEY */
+        AssertNull(PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, &pkey, NULL, NULL));
+        AssertIntEQ(BIO_pending(bio), 0);
+        AssertIntEQ(PEM_write_bio_PrivateKey(bio, pkey, NULL, NULL, 0, NULL, NULL),
+                SSL_SUCCESS);
+        AssertIntEQ(BIO_write(bio, extra, 10), 10); /*add 10 extra bytes after PEM*/
+        AssertNotNull(PEM_read_bio_PrivateKey(bio, &pkey, NULL, NULL));
+        AssertNotNull(pkey);
+        AssertIntEQ((int)XMEMCMP(pkey->pkey.ptr, pkey2->pkey.ptr, pkey->pkey_sz),0);
+        AssertIntEQ(BIO_pending(bio), 10); /* check 10 extra bytes still there */
+        AssertIntEQ(BIO_read(bio, extra, 10), 10);
+        for (i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+            AssertIntEQ(extra[i], 0);
+        }
+
+        BIO_free(bio);
+        EVP_PKEY_free(pkey);
+        EVP_PKEY_free(pkey2);
+    }
+    #endif
 
     /* key is DES encrypted */
     #if !defined(NO_DES3) && defined(WOLFSSL_ENCRYPTED_KEYS)
@@ -15810,7 +15842,9 @@ static void test_wolfSSL_PEM_PrivateKey(void)
     #endif
 
     printf(resultFmt, passed);
-    #endif /* defined(OPENSSL_EXTRA) && !defined(NO_CERTS) */
+
+    (void)server_key;
+#endif /* OPENSSL_EXTRA && !NO_CERTS && !NO_RSA && USE_CERT_BUFFERS_2048 */
 }