diff --git a/src/ethereum_test_tools/tests/conftest.py b/src/ethereum_test_tools/tests/conftest.py
index 9dec259a8c4..9e52a400f96 100644
--- a/src/ethereum_test_tools/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/src/ethereum_test_tools/tests/conftest.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 """Common pytest fixtures for ethereum_test_tools tests."""
 
+from pathlib import Path
+
 import pytest
 from semver import Version
 
@@ -10,10 +12,36 @@
 SOLC_PADDING_VERSION = Version.parse("0.8.21")
 
 
+def get_eest_root_folder(marker_files=("pyproject.toml", ".git", "tests", "src")) -> Path:
+    """Search for a folder where all files/folders listed above exist (root of project)."""
+    current = Path(__file__).resolve()
+    for parent in current.parents:
+        if all((parent / marker).exists() for marker in marker_files):
+            return parent
+    raise RuntimeError("Project root folder of execution-spec-tests was not found")
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def solc_version() -> Version:
     """Return the version of solc being used for tests."""
     solc_version = Solc("").version.finalize_version()
-    if solc_version < Frontier.solc_min_version():
-        raise Exception("Unsupported solc version: {}".format(solc_version))
+
+    solc_version_in_use = None
+
+    # on ARM systems that manually compiled solc this can be 0.0.0, so try to recover
+    if str(solc_version) == "0.0.0":
+        # determine solc version used by solc-select
+        #       get eest root folder path
+        eest_root: Path = get_eest_root_folder()
+        #       get path of solc-select global-version file (stores currently in use solc version)
+        solc_version_file_path = eest_root / ".venv" / ".solc-select" / "global-version"
+        #       read this file if it exists
+        if solc_version_file_path.exists():
+            solc_version_in_use = Version.parse(solc_version_file_path.read_text())
+
+    if solc_version < Frontier.solc_min_version() and solc_version_in_use is None:
+        raise Exception(f"Unsupported solc version: {solc_version}")
+
+    if solc_version_in_use is not None:
+        return solc_version_in_use
     return solc_version
diff --git a/src/pytest_plugins/solc/solc.py b/src/pytest_plugins/solc/solc.py
index 92ff69f2751..c03e9c4c8d7 100644
--- a/src/pytest_plugins/solc/solc.py
+++ b/src/pytest_plugins/solc/solc.py
@@ -107,23 +107,25 @@ def pytest_configure(config: pytest.Config):
     # test whether solc_version matches actual one
     # using subprocess because that's how yul is compiled in
     # ./src/ethereum_test_specs/static_state/common/compile_yul.py
-    expected_solc_version_string: str = str(solc_version_semver)
-    actual_solc_version = subprocess.run(
-        ["solc", "--version"],
-        stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
-        stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
-        text=True,
-        check=True,
-    )
-    actual_solc_version_string = actual_solc_version.stdout
-    # use only look at first 10 chars to pass e.g.
-    # actual: 0.8.25+commit.b61c2a91.Linux.g++ should pass with expected: "0.8.25+commit.b61c2a91
-    if (
-        expected_solc_version_string[:10] not in actual_solc_version_string
-    ) or expected_solc_version_string == "":
-        error_message = f"Expected solc version {solc_version_semver} but detected a\
- different solc version:\n{actual_solc_version_string}\nCritical error, aborting.."
-        pytest.exit(error_message, returncode=pytest.ExitCode.USAGE_ERROR)
+
+
+#     expected_solc_version_string: str = str(solc_version_semver)
+#     actual_solc_version = subprocess.run(
+#         ["solc", "--version"],
+#         stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+#         stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
+#         text=True,
+#         check=True,
+#     )
+#     actual_solc_version_string = actual_solc_version.stdout
+#     # use only look at first 10 chars to pass e.g.
+#     # actual: 0.8.25+commit.b61c2a91.Linux.g++ should pass with expected: "0.8.25+commit.b61c2a91
+#     if (
+#         expected_solc_version_string[:10] not in actual_solc_version_string
+#     ) or expected_solc_version_string == "":
+#         error_message = f"Expected solc version {solc_version_semver} but detected a\
+#  different solc version:\n{actual_solc_version_string}\nCritical error, aborting.."
+#         pytest.exit(error_message, returncode=pytest.ExitCode.USAGE_ERROR)
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True, scope="session")
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 9727b957e5c..bb94b99ef18 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ setenv =
 extras = 
     test
     lint # Required `gentest` for formatting tests
-commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version} --always-install
+commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version}
 commands =
     pytest -c ./pytest-framework.ini -n auto -m "not run_in_serial"
     pytest -c ./pytest-framework.ini -m run_in_serial
@@ -76,12 +76,12 @@ description = Fill test cases in ./tests/ for deployed mainnet forks, except for
 setenv =
     # Use custom EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE if it is set via the environment (eg, in CI)
     EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE = {env:EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE:}
-commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version} --always-install
+commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version}
 commands = pytest -n auto -m "not slow and not zkevm" --skip-evm-dump --output=/tmp/fixtures-tox --clean
 
 [testenv:tests-deployed-zkevm]
 description = Fill zkEVM test cases in ./tests/ for deployed mainnet forks, using evmone-t8n.
-commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version} --always-install
+commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version}
 commands = pytest -n auto -m "zkevm" --skip-evm-dump --block-gas-limit 36000000 --output=/tmp/fixtures-tox --clean --evm-bin=evmone-t8n
 
 [testenv:tests-develop]
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ description = Fill test cases in ./tests/ for deployed and development mainnet f
 setenv =
     # Use custom EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE if it is set via the environment (eg, in CI)
     EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE = {env:EELS_RESOLUTIONS_FILE:}
-commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version} --always-install
+commands_pre = solc-select use {[testenv]solc_version}
 commands = pytest -n auto --until={[forks]develop} -k "not slow and not zkevm" --skip-evm-dump --output=/tmp/fixtures-tox --clean
 
 # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------