diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/__init__.py b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/__init__.py
index d00949e56e..c901ad37e7 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/__init__.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/__init__.py
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
-from git import Repo
-from contentstore import import_from_xml
-from fs.osfs import OSFS
+import logging
 import os
-from xmodule.modulestore import Location
-from django.conf import settings
 
+from django.conf import settings
+from fs.osfs import OSFS
+from git import Repo, PushInfo
+
+from contentstore import import_from_xml
+from xmodule.modulestore import Location
+
+from .exceptions import GithubSyncError
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 def import_from_github(repo_settings):
     """
@@ -53,4 +59,17 @@ def export_to_github(course, repo_path, commit_message):
 
         origin = git_repo.remotes.origin
         if settings.MITX_FEATURES['GITHUB_PUSH']:
-            origin.push()
+            push_infos = origin.push()
+            if len(push_infos) > 1:
+                log.error('Unexpectedly pushed multiple heads: {infos}'.format(
+                    infos="\n".join(str(info.summary) for info in push_infos)
+                ))
+
+            if push_infos[0].flags & PushInfo.ERROR:
+                log.error('Failed push: flags={p.flags}, local_ref={p.local_ref}, '
+                          'remote_ref_string={p.remote_ref_string}, '
+                          'remote_ref={p.remote_ref}, old_commit={p.old_commit}, '
+                          'summary={p.summary})'.format(p=push_infos[0]))
+                raise GithubSyncError('Failed to push: {info}'.format(
+                    info=str(push_infos[0].summary)
+                ))
diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/exceptions.py b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/exceptions.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9097ffc2a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/exceptions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+class GithubSyncError(Exception):
+    pass
diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/tests/__init__.py b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/tests/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..825fc68313
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/github_sync/tests/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+from django.test import TestCase
+from path import path
+import shutil
+from github_sync import import_from_github, export_to_github, repo_path_from_location
+from git import Repo
+from django.conf import settings
+from xmodule.modulestore.django import modulestore
+from xmodule.modulestore import Location
+from override_settings import override_settings
+from github_sync.exceptions import GithubSyncError
+
+
+class GithubSyncTestCase(TestCase):
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.working_dir = path(settings.TEST_ROOT)
+        self.repo_dir = self.working_dir / 'local_repo'
+        self.remote_dir = self.working_dir / 'remote_repo'
+        shutil.copytree('common/test/data/toy', self.remote_dir)
+
+        remote = Repo.init(self.remote_dir)
+        remote.git.add(A=True)
+        remote.git.commit(m='Initial commit')
+        remote.git.config("receive.denyCurrentBranch", "ignore")
+
+        modulestore().collection.drop()
+
+        self.import_revision, self.import_course = import_from_github({
+            'path': self.repo_dir,
+            'origin': self.remote_dir,
+            'branch': 'master',
+            'org': 'org',
+            'course': 'course'
+        })
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        shutil.rmtree(self.repo_dir)
+        shutil.rmtree(self.remote_dir)
+
+    def test_initialize_repo(self):
+        """
+        Test that importing from github will create a repo if the repo doesn't already exist
+        """
+        self.assertEquals(1, len(Repo(self.repo_dir).head.reference.log()))
+
+    def test_import_contents(self):
+        """
+        Test that the import loads the correct course into the modulestore
+        """
+        self.assertEquals('Toy Course', self.import_course.metadata['display_name'])
+        self.assertIn(
+            Location('i4x://org/course/chapter/Overview'),
+            [child.location for child in self.import_course.get_children()])
+        self.assertEquals(1, len(self.import_course.get_children()))
+
+    @override_settings(MITX_FEATURES={'GITHUB_PUSH': False})
+    def test_export_no_pash(self):
+        """
+        Test that with the GITHUB_PUSH feature disabled, no content is pushed to the remote
+        """
+        export_to_github(self.import_course, self.repo_dir, 'Test no-push')
+        self.assertEquals(1, Repo(self.remote_dir).head.commit.count())
+
+    @override_settings(MITX_FEATURES={'GITHUB_PUSH': True})
+    def test_export_push(self):
+        """
+        Test that with GITHUB_PUSH enabled, content is pushed to the remote
+        """
+        self.import_course.metadata['display_name'] = 'Changed display name'
+        export_to_github(self.import_course, self.repo_dir, 'Test push')
+        self.assertEquals(2, Repo(self.remote_dir).head.commit.count())
+
+    @override_settings(MITX_FEATURES={'GITHUB_PUSH': True})
+    def test_export_conflict(self):
+        """
+        Test that if there is a conflict when pushing to the remote repo, nothing is pushed and an exception is raised
+        """
+        self.import_course.metadata['display_name'] = 'Changed display name'
+
+        remote = Repo(self.remote_dir)
+        remote.git.commit(allow_empty=True, m="Testing conflict commit")
+
+        self.assertRaises(GithubSyncError, export_to_github, self.import_course, self.repo_dir, 'Test push')
+        self.assertEquals(2, remote.head.reference.commit.count())
+        self.assertEquals("Testing conflict commit\n", remote.head.reference.commit.message)
+
+
+@override_settings(REPOS={'namea': {'path': 'patha', 'org': 'orga', 'course': 'coursea'},
+                          'nameb': {'path': 'pathb', 'org': 'orgb', 'course': 'courseb'}})
+class RepoPathLookupTestCase(TestCase):
+    def test_successful_lookup(self):
+        self.assertEquals('patha', repo_path_from_location('i4x://orga/coursea/course/foo'))
+        self.assertEquals('pathb', repo_path_from_location('i4x://orgb/courseb/course/foo'))
+
+    def test_failed_lookup(self):
+        self.assertEquals(None, repo_path_from_location('i4x://c/c/course/foo'))
diff --git a/cms/envs/test.py b/cms/envs/test.py
index 032de92953..927e2af987 100644
--- a/cms/envs/test.py
+++ b/cms/envs/test.py
@@ -17,10 +17,18 @@ for app in os.listdir(PROJECT_ROOT / 'djangoapps'):
     NOSE_ARGS += ['--cover-package', app]
 TEST_RUNNER = 'django_nose.NoseTestSuiteRunner'
 
+TEST_ROOT = 'test_root'
+
 MODULESTORE = {
-    'host': 'localhost',
-    'db': 'mongo_base',
-    'collection': 'key_store',
+    'default': {
+        'ENGINE': 'xmodule.modulestore.mongo.MongoModuleStore',
+        'OPTIONS': {
+            'default_class': 'xmodule.raw_module.RawDescriptor',
+            'host': 'localhost',
+            'db': 'test_xmodule',
+            'collection': 'modulestore',
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 DATABASES = {
diff --git a/common/test/data/toy/toy_course.xml b/common/test/data/toy/course.xml
similarity index 100%
rename from common/test/data/toy/toy_course.xml
rename to common/test/data/toy/course.xml
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index ddf218af7c..571c530a2f 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -29,3 +29,4 @@ django_nose
 nosexcover
 rednose
 GitPython >= 0.3
+django-override-settings
diff --git a/test_root/.gitignore b/test_root/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b3e5512f73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_root/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+local_repo
+remote_repo