diff --git a/app/models/alert.rb b/app/models/alert.rb
index 75d7b80..0d79e38 100644
--- a/app/models/alert.rb
+++ b/app/models/alert.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ class Alert < ActiveRecord::Base
   }
 
   def alerted?
-    @alerted
+    self.alerted
   end
 
   def course_name
diff --git a/test/fixtures/alerts.yml b/test/fixtures/alerts.yml
index 1fcbefb..5eb6612 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/alerts.yml
+++ b/test/fixtures/alerts.yml
@@ -2,12 +2,22 @@
 
 one:
   user_id: 1
-  department: MyString
-  course: MyString
+  department: CSE
+  course: 101
   alerted: false
+  semester: US13
 
 two:
   user_id: 1
-  department: MyString
-  course: MyString
+  department: IAH
+  course: 241A
+  alerted: true
+  semester: FS13
+
+three:
+  user_id: 2
+  department: TES
+  course: 312
   alerted: false
+  semester: SS14
+
diff --git a/test/fixtures/users.yml b/test/fixtures/users.yml
index c63aac0..819ceaa 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/users.yml
+++ b/test/fixtures/users.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 # Read about fixtures at http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActiveRecord/Fixtures.html
+one:
+  id: 1
+
+two: 
+  id: 2
 
-# This model initially had no columns defined.  If you add columns to the
-# model remove the '{}' from the fixture names and add the columns immediately
-# below each fixture, per the syntax in the comments below
-#
-one: {}
-# column: value
-#
-two: {}
-#  column: value
diff --git a/test/unit/alert_test.rb b/test/unit/alert_test.rb
index b59c65e..e803214 100644
--- a/test/unit/alert_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/alert_test.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,32 @@
 require 'test_helper'
 
 class AlertTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
-  # test "the truth" do
-  #   assert true
-  # end
+  def setup
+    @alert_one = alerts(:one)
+    @alert_two = alerts(:two)
+    @alert_three = alerts(:three)
+
+    @user_one = users(:one)
+  end
+
+  test "creating a new alert creates an alert" do
+    assert_kind_of Alert, Alert.new
+  end
+
+  test "should return false if has not been alerted" do
+    assert !@alert_one.alerted?
+  end
+
+  test "should return true if has been alerted" do
+    assert @alert_two.alerted?
+  end
+
+  test "should return alerts for user when asked" do
+    assert !Alert.user_alerts(@user_one).empty?
+  end
+
+  #test "should only return alerts for correct user when asked" do
+    # again, should test with actual user
+    #assert Alert.user_alerts(@user_one).all? { |a| a == @user_one }
+  #end
 end