diff --git a/src/schema.jl b/src/schema.jl
index e45ff692..d05b0ad7 100644
--- a/src/schema.jl
+++ b/src/schema.jl
@@ -215,6 +215,11 @@ function concrete_term(t::Term, xs::AbstractArray, contrasts::AbstractContrasts)
     CategoricalTerm(t.sym, contrmat)
 end
 
+# this catches early when someone provides `:x => DummyCoding` as a hint
+function concrete_term(t::Term, xs::AbstractArray, ::Type{T}) where {T<:AbstractContrasts}
+    throw(ArgumentError("contrast types must be instantiated (use $T() instead of $T)"))
+end
+
 """
     apply_schema(t, schema::StatsModels.Schema[, Mod::Type = Nothing])
 
diff --git a/test/contrasts.jl b/test/contrasts.jl
index 1f508bd1..7758c187 100644
--- a/test/contrasts.jl
+++ b/test/contrasts.jl
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@
 
     # contrasts types must be instantiated (should throw ArgumentError, currently
     # MethodError on apply_schema)
-    @test_broken setcontrasts!(mf, x = DummyCoding)
+    @test_throws ArgumentError setcontrasts!(mf, x = DummyCoding)
 
     @testset "hypothesis coding" begin
 
diff --git a/test/formula.jl b/test/formula.jl
index 2d74509a..4e1a4b93 100644
--- a/test/formula.jl
+++ b/test/formula.jl
@@ -118,8 +118,9 @@
         @formula(foo ~ bar + baz)
 
     # drop_term no longer checks for whether term is found...
-    @test_broken drop_term(@formula(foo ~ bar + baz), term(0))
-    @test_broken drop_term(@formula(foo ~ bar + baz), term(:boz))
+    f = @formula(foo ~ bar + baz)
+    @test drop_term(f, term(0)) == f
+    @test drop_term(f, term(:boz)) == f
 
     form = @formula(foo ~ 1 + bar + baz)
     @test form == @formula(foo ~ 1 + bar + baz)