diff --git a/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_api.py b/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_api.py
index 2c824cca59..aae3885b2e 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_api.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_api.py
@@ -1,20 +1,17 @@
 import json
+import os
 import time
 
+import jupyter_client
 import pytest
 import tornado
 from jupyter_client.kernelspec import NATIVE_KERNEL_NAME
 from tornado.httpclient import HTTPClientError
 
 from ...utils import expected_http_error
-from jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager import AsyncMappingKernelManager
 from jupyter_server.utils import url_path_join
 
 
-class DummyMappingKernelManager(AsyncMappingKernelManager):
-    """A no-op subclass to use in a fixture"""
-
-
 @pytest.fixture
 def pending_kernel_is_ready(jp_serverapp):
     async def _(kernel_id):
@@ -27,22 +24,37 @@ async def _(kernel_id):
     return _
 
 
-@pytest.fixture(
-    params=["MappingKernelManager", "AsyncMappingKernelManager", "DummyMappingKernelManager"]
-)
-def jp_argv(request):
-    if request.param == "DummyMappingKernelManager":
-        extra = []
-        if hasattr(AsyncMappingKernelManager, "use_pending_kernels"):
-            extra = ["--AsyncMappingKernelManager.use_pending_kernels=True"]
-        return [
-            "--ServerApp.kernel_manager_class=jupyter_server.tests.services.kernels.test_api."
-            + request.param
-        ] + extra
-    return [
-        "--ServerApp.kernel_manager_class=jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager."
-        + request.param
-    ]
+configs = [
+    {
+        "ServerApp": {
+            "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.MappingKernelManager"
+        }
+    },
+    {
+        "ServerApp": {
+            "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.AsyncMappingKernelManager"
+        }
+    },
+]
+
+
+# Pending kernels was released in Jupyter Client 7.1
+# It is currently broken on Windows (Jan 2022). When fixed, we can remove the Windows check.
+# See https://github.com/jupyter-server/jupyter_server/issues/672
+if os.name != "nt" and jupyter_client._version.version_info >= (7, 1):
+    # Add a pending kernels condition
+    c = {
+        "ServerApp": {
+            "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.AsyncMappingKernelManager"
+        },
+        "AsyncMappingKernelManager": {"use_pending_kernels": True},
+    }
+    configs.append(c)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(params=configs)
+def jp_server_config(request):
+    return request.param
 
 
 async def test_no_kernels(jp_fetch):
diff --git a/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_cull.py b/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_cull.py
index a2c83bd84b..3f75ed54ee 100644
--- a/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_cull.py
+++ b/jupyter_server/tests/services/kernels/test_cull.py
@@ -1,39 +1,49 @@
 import asyncio
 import json
+import os
 import platform
 
+import jupyter_client
 import pytest
 from tornado.httpclient import HTTPClientError
 from traitlets.config import Config
 
 
-@pytest.fixture(params=["MappingKernelManager", "AsyncMappingKernelManager"])
-def jp_argv(request):
-    return [
-        "--ServerApp.kernel_manager_class=jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager."
-        + request.param
-    ]
-
-
 CULL_TIMEOUT = 30 if platform.python_implementation() == "PyPy" else 5
 CULL_INTERVAL = 1
 
 
-@pytest.fixture
-def jp_server_config():
-    return Config(
-        {
-            "ServerApp": {
-                "MappingKernelManager": {
-                    "cull_idle_timeout": CULL_TIMEOUT,
-                    "cull_interval": CULL_INTERVAL,
-                    "cull_connected": False,
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "jp_server_config",
+    [
+        # Test the synchronous case
+        Config(
+            {
+                "ServerApp": {
+                    "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.MappingKernelManager",
+                    "MappingKernelManager": {
+                        "cull_idle_timeout": CULL_TIMEOUT,
+                        "cull_interval": CULL_INTERVAL,
+                        "cull_connected": False,
+                    },
                 }
             }
-        }
-    )
-
-
+        ),
+        # Test the async case
+        Config(
+            {
+                "ServerApp": {
+                    "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.AsyncMappingKernelManager",
+                    "AsyncMappingKernelManager": {
+                        "cull_idle_timeout": CULL_TIMEOUT,
+                        "cull_interval": CULL_INTERVAL,
+                        "cull_connected": False,
+                    },
+                }
+            }
+        ),
+    ],
+)
 async def test_cull_idle(jp_fetch, jp_ws_fetch, jp_cleanup_subprocesses):
     r = await jp_fetch("api", "kernels", method="POST", allow_nonstandard_methods=True)
     kernel = json.loads(r.body.decode())
@@ -53,14 +63,35 @@ async def test_cull_idle(jp_fetch, jp_ws_fetch, jp_cleanup_subprocesses):
     await jp_cleanup_subprocesses()
 
 
+# Pending kernels was released in Jupyter Client 7.1
+# It is currently broken on Windows (Jan 2022). When fixed, we can remove the Windows check.
+# See https://github.com/jupyter-server/jupyter_server/issues/672
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    os.name == "nt" or jupyter_client._version.version_info < (7, 1),
+    reason="Pending kernels require jupyter_client >= 7.1 on non-Windows",
+)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "jp_server_config",
+    [
+        Config(
+            {
+                "ServerApp": {
+                    "kernel_manager_class": "jupyter_server.services.kernels.kernelmanager.AsyncMappingKernelManager",
+                    "AsyncMappingKernelManager": {
+                        "cull_idle_timeout": CULL_TIMEOUT,
+                        "cull_interval": CULL_INTERVAL,
+                        "cull_connected": False,
+                        "default_kernel_name": "bad",
+                        "use_pending_kernels": True,
+                    },
+                }
+            }
+        )
+    ],
+)
 async def test_cull_dead(
     jp_fetch, jp_ws_fetch, jp_serverapp, jp_cleanup_subprocesses, jp_kernelspecs
 ):
-    if not hasattr(jp_serverapp.kernel_manager, "use_pending_kernels"):
-        return
-
-    jp_serverapp.kernel_manager.use_pending_kernels = True
-    jp_serverapp.kernel_manager.default_kernel_name = "bad"
     r = await jp_fetch("api", "kernels", method="POST", allow_nonstandard_methods=True)
     kernel = json.loads(r.body.decode())
     kid = kernel["id"]