diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/cat_test.c b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/cat_test.c
index 6a8306b0a109..87302b882929 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/cat_test.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/cat_test.c
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ int cat_perf_miss_val(int cpu_no, int n, char *cache_type)
 	unsigned long l_mask, l_mask_1;
 	int ret, pipefd[2], sibling_cpu_no;
 	char pipe_message;
-	pid_t bm_pid;
 
 	cache_size = 0;
 
@@ -181,28 +180,29 @@ int cat_perf_miss_val(int cpu_no, int n, char *cache_type)
 		strcpy(param.filename, RESULT_FILE_NAME1);
 		param.num_of_runs = 0;
 		param.cpu_no = sibling_cpu_no;
+	} else {
+		ret = signal_handler_register();
+		if (ret)
+			goto out;
 	}
 
 	remove(param.filename);
 
 	ret = cat_val(&param);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
-
-	ret = check_results(&param);
-	if (ret)
-		return ret;
+	if (ret == 0)
+		ret = check_results(&param);
 
 	if (bm_pid == 0) {
 		/* Tell parent that child is ready */
 		close(pipefd[0]);
 		pipe_message = 1;
 		if (write(pipefd[1], &pipe_message, sizeof(pipe_message)) <
-		    sizeof(pipe_message)) {
-			close(pipefd[1]);
+		    sizeof(pipe_message))
+			/*
+			 * Just print the error message.
+			 * Let while(1) run and wait for itself to be killed.
+			 */
 			perror("# failed signaling parent process");
-			return errno;
-		}
 
 		close(pipefd[1]);
 		while (1)
@@ -226,5 +226,7 @@ int cat_perf_miss_val(int cpu_no, int n, char *cache_type)
 	if (bm_pid)
 		umount_resctrlfs();
 
-	return 0;
+out:
+	ret = signal_handler_unregister();
+	return ret;
 }
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
index 56ccbeae0638..322c6812e15c 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/fill_buf.c
@@ -33,14 +33,6 @@ static void sb(void)
 #endif
 }
 
-static void ctrl_handler(int signo)
-{
-	free(startptr);
-	printf("\nEnding\n");
-	sb();
-	exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
-}
-
 static void cl_flush(void *p)
 {
 #if defined(__i386) || defined(__x86_64)
@@ -198,12 +190,6 @@ int run_fill_buf(unsigned long span, int malloc_and_init_memory,
 	unsigned long long cache_size = span;
 	int ret;
 
-	/* set up ctrl-c handler */
-	if (signal(SIGINT, ctrl_handler) == SIG_ERR)
-		printf("Failed to catch SIGINT!\n");
-	if (signal(SIGHUP, ctrl_handler) == SIG_ERR)
-		printf("Failed to catch SIGHUP!\n");
-
 	ret = fill_cache(cache_size, malloc_and_init_memory, memflush, op,
 			 resctrl_val);
 	if (ret) {
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl.h b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl.h
index f0ded31fb3c7..14a5e21497e1 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl.h
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl.h
@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ void mba_test_cleanup(void);
 int get_cbm_mask(char *cache_type, char *cbm_mask);
 int get_cache_size(int cpu_no, char *cache_type, unsigned long *cache_size);
 void ctrlc_handler(int signum, siginfo_t *info, void *ptr);
+int signal_handler_register(void);
+int signal_handler_unregister(void);
 int cat_val(struct resctrl_val_param *param);
 void cat_test_cleanup(void);
 int cat_perf_miss_val(int cpu_no, int no_of_bits, char *cache_type);
diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl_val.c b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl_val.c
index 6948843bf995..91a3cf8b308b 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl_val.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/resctrl/resctrl_val.c
@@ -476,6 +476,46 @@ void ctrlc_handler(int signum, siginfo_t *info, void *ptr)
 	exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
 }
 
+struct sigaction sigact;
+
+/*
+ * Register CTRL-C handler for parent, as it has to kill
+ * child process before exiting
+ */
+int signal_handler_register(void)
+{
+	int ret = 0;
+	struct sigaction sigact;
+
+	sigact.sa_sigaction = ctrlc_handler;
+	sigemptyset(&sigact.sa_mask);
+	sigact.sa_flags = SA_SIGINFO;
+	if (sigaction(SIGINT, &sigact, NULL) ||
+	    sigaction(SIGTERM, &sigact, NULL) ||
+	    sigaction(SIGHUP, &sigact, NULL)) {
+		perror("# sigaction");
+		ret = errno;
+	}
+	return ret;
+}
+
+/* reset signal handler to SIG_DFL. */
+int signal_handler_unregister(void)
+{
+	int ret = 0;
+	struct sigaction sigact;
+
+	sigact.sa_handler = SIG_DFL;
+	sigemptyset(&sigact.sa_mask);
+	if (sigaction(SIGINT, &sigact, NULL) ||
+	    sigaction(SIGTERM, &sigact, NULL) ||
+	    sigaction(SIGHUP, &sigact, NULL)) {
+		perror("# sigaction");
+		ret = errno;
+	}
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /*
  * print_results_bw:	the memory bandwidth results are stored in a file
  * @filename:		file that stores the results
@@ -671,20 +711,9 @@ int resctrl_val(char **benchmark_cmd, struct resctrl_val_param *param)
 
 	ksft_print_msg("Benchmark PID: %d\n", bm_pid);
 
-	/*
-	 * Register CTRL-C handler for parent, as it has to kill benchmark
-	 * before exiting
-	 */
-	sigact.sa_sigaction = ctrlc_handler;
-	sigemptyset(&sigact.sa_mask);
-	sigact.sa_flags = SA_SIGINFO;
-	if (sigaction(SIGINT, &sigact, NULL) ||
-	    sigaction(SIGTERM, &sigact, NULL) ||
-	    sigaction(SIGHUP, &sigact, NULL)) {
-		perror("# sigaction");
-		ret = errno;
+	ret = signal_handler_register();
+	if (ret)
 		goto out;
-	}
 
 	value.sival_ptr = benchmark_cmd;
 
@@ -764,6 +793,7 @@ int resctrl_val(char **benchmark_cmd, struct resctrl_val_param *param)
 out:
 	kill(bm_pid, SIGKILL);
 	umount_resctrlfs();
+	ret = signal_handler_unregister();
 
 	return ret;
 }
