diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf.c
index 93162484c2ca..8ae97e2a4b9d 100644
--- a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf.c
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf.c
@@ -6652,7 +6652,7 @@ static void do_test_dedup(unsigned int test_num)
 	const void *test_btf_data, *expect_btf_data;
 	const char *ret_test_next_str, *ret_expect_next_str;
 	const char *test_strs, *expect_strs;
-	const char *test_str_cur, *test_str_end;
+	const char *test_str_cur;
 	const char *expect_str_cur, *expect_str_end;
 	unsigned int raw_btf_size;
 	void *raw_btf;
@@ -6719,12 +6719,18 @@ static void do_test_dedup(unsigned int test_num)
 		goto done;
 	}
 
-	test_str_cur = test_strs;
-	test_str_end = test_strs + test_hdr->str_len;
 	expect_str_cur = expect_strs;
 	expect_str_end = expect_strs + expect_hdr->str_len;
-	while (test_str_cur < test_str_end && expect_str_cur < expect_str_end) {
+	while (expect_str_cur < expect_str_end) {
 		size_t test_len, expect_len;
+		int off;
+
+		off = btf__find_str(test_btf, expect_str_cur);
+		if (CHECK(off < 0, "exp str '%s' not found: %d\n", expect_str_cur, off)) {
+			err = -1;
+			goto done;
+		}
+		test_str_cur = btf__str_by_offset(test_btf, off);
 
 		test_len = strlen(test_str_cur);
 		expect_len = strlen(expect_str_cur);
@@ -6741,15 +6747,8 @@ static void do_test_dedup(unsigned int test_num)
 			err = -1;
 			goto done;
 		}
-		test_str_cur += test_len + 1;
 		expect_str_cur += expect_len + 1;
 	}
-	if (CHECK(test_str_cur != test_str_end,
-		  "test_str_cur:%p != test_str_end:%p",
-		  test_str_cur, test_str_end)) {
-		err = -1;
-		goto done;
-	}
 
 	test_nr_types = btf__get_nr_types(test_btf);
 	expect_nr_types = btf__get_nr_types(expect_btf);
@@ -6775,10 +6774,21 @@ static void do_test_dedup(unsigned int test_num)
 			err = -1;
 			goto done;
 		}
-		if (CHECK(memcmp((void *)test_type,
-				 (void *)expect_type,
-				 test_size),
-			  "type #%d: contents differ", i)) {
+		if (CHECK(btf_kind(test_type) != btf_kind(expect_type),
+			  "type %d kind: exp %d != got %u\n",
+			  i, btf_kind(expect_type), btf_kind(test_type))) {
+			err = -1;
+			goto done;
+		}
+		if (CHECK(test_type->info != expect_type->info,
+			  "type %d info: exp %d != got %u\n",
+			  i, expect_type->info, test_type->info)) {
+			err = -1;
+			goto done;
+		}
+		if (CHECK(test_type->size != expect_type->size,
+			  "type %d size/type: exp %d != got %u\n",
+			  i, expect_type->size, test_type->size)) {
 			err = -1;
 			goto done;
 		}