diff --git a/go/vt/vtgate/executor_test.go b/go/vt/vtgate/executor_test.go
index 0f382bde580..06838eb02f6 100644
--- a/go/vt/vtgate/executor_test.go
+++ b/go/vt/vtgate/executor_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import (
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/topo"
 
 	"github.com/golang/protobuf/proto"
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/mysql"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/sqltypes"
 	"vitess.io/vitess/go/vt/callerid"
@@ -1031,6 +1032,52 @@ func TestExecutorDDL(t *testing.T) {
 
 	executor, sbc1, sbc2, sbclookup := createExecutorEnv()
 
+	type cnts struct {
+		Sbc1Cnt      int64
+		Sbc2Cnt      int64
+		SbcLookupCnt int64
+	}
+
+	tcs := []struct {
+		targetStr string
+
+		hasNoKeyspaceErr bool
+		shardQueryCnt    int
+		wantCnts         cnts
+	}{
+		{
+			targetStr:        "",
+			hasNoKeyspaceErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			targetStr:     KsTestUnsharded,
+			shardQueryCnt: 1,
+			wantCnts: cnts{
+				Sbc1Cnt:      0,
+				Sbc2Cnt:      0,
+				SbcLookupCnt: 1,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			targetStr:     "TestExecutor",
+			shardQueryCnt: 8,
+			wantCnts: cnts{
+				Sbc1Cnt:      1,
+				Sbc2Cnt:      1,
+				SbcLookupCnt: 0,
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			targetStr:     "TestExecutor/-20",
+			shardQueryCnt: 1,
+			wantCnts: cnts{
+				Sbc1Cnt:      1,
+				Sbc2Cnt:      0,
+				SbcLookupCnt: 0,
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
 	stmts := []string{
 		"create",
 		"alter",
@@ -1038,61 +1085,32 @@ func TestExecutorDDL(t *testing.T) {
 		"drop",
 		"truncate",
 	}
-	wantCount := []int64{0, 0, 0}
+
 	for _, stmt := range stmts {
-		_, err := executor.Execute(context.Background(), "TestExecute", NewSafeSession(&vtgatepb.Session{TargetString: KsTestUnsharded}), stmt, nil)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Error(err)
-		}
-		gotCount := []int64{
-			sbc1.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbc2.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbclookup.ExecCount.Get(),
-		}
-		wantCount[2]++
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(gotCount, wantCount) {
-			t.Errorf("Exec %s: %v, want %v", stmt, gotCount, wantCount)
-		}
-		testQueryLog(t, logChan, "TestExecute", "DDL", stmt, 1)
+		for _, tc := range tcs {
+			sbc1.ExecCount.Set(0)
+			sbc2.ExecCount.Set(0)
+			sbclookup.ExecCount.Set(0)
+
+			_, err := executor.Execute(context.Background(), "TestExecute", NewSafeSession(&vtgatepb.Session{TargetString: tc.targetStr}), stmt, nil)
+			if tc.hasNoKeyspaceErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err, errNoKeyspace)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			}
 
-		_, err = executor.Execute(context.Background(), "TestExecute", NewSafeSession(&vtgatepb.Session{TargetString: "TestExecutor"}), stmt, nil)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Error(err)
-		}
-		gotCount = []int64{
-			sbc1.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbc2.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbclookup.ExecCount.Get(),
-		}
-		wantCount[0]++
-		wantCount[1]++
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(gotCount, wantCount) {
-			t.Errorf("Exec %s: %v, want %v", stmt, gotCount, wantCount)
-		}
-		testQueryLog(t, logChan, "TestExecute", "DDL", stmt, 8)
+			diff := cmp.Diff(tc.wantCnts, cnts{
+				Sbc1Cnt:      sbc1.ExecCount.Get(),
+				Sbc2Cnt:      sbc2.ExecCount.Get(),
+				SbcLookupCnt: sbclookup.ExecCount.Get(),
+			})
+			if diff != "" {
+				t.Errorf("stmt: %s\ntc: %+v\n-want,+got:\n%s", stmt, tc, diff)
+			}
 
-		_, err = executor.Execute(context.Background(), "TestExecute", NewSafeSession(&vtgatepb.Session{TargetString: "TestExecutor/-20"}), stmt, nil)
-		if err != nil {
-			t.Error(err)
-		}
-		gotCount = []int64{
-			sbc1.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbc2.ExecCount.Get(),
-			sbclookup.ExecCount.Get(),
-		}
-		wantCount[0]++
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(gotCount, wantCount) {
-			t.Errorf("Exec %s: %v, want %v", stmt, gotCount, wantCount)
+			testQueryLog(t, logChan, "TestExecute", "DDL", stmt, tc.shardQueryCnt)
 		}
-		testQueryLog(t, logChan, "TestExecute", "DDL", stmt, 1)
-	}
-
-	_, err := executor.Execute(context.Background(), "TestExecute", NewSafeSession(&vtgatepb.Session{}), "create", nil)
-	want := errNoKeyspace.Error()
-	if err == nil || err.Error() != want {
-		t.Errorf("ddl with no keyspace: %v, want %v", err, want)
 	}
-	testQueryLog(t, logChan, "TestExecute", "DDL", "create", 0)
 }
 
 func waitForVindex(t *testing.T, ks, name string, watch chan *vschemapb.SrvVSchema, executor *Executor) (*vschemapb.SrvVSchema, *vschemapb.Vindex) {