diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index d995ddcc87e..0821457584b 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -13,8 +13,8 @@ Here are the core requirements for any PR submitted to LiteLLM:
 
 - [ ] **Add testing** - Adding at least 1 test is a hard requirement - [see details](#adding-testing)
 - [ ] **Ensure your PR passes all checks**:
-  - [ ] [Unit Tests](#running-unit-tests) - `make test-unit`
   - [ ] [Linting / Formatting](#running-linting-and-formatting-checks) - `make lint`
+  - [ ] [The tests covering your change](#running-unit-tests) pass, e.g. `uv run pytest tests/test_litellm/<your_test_file>.py -v`. CI runs the full unit test matrix, so you don't need to run the whole suite locally
 
 #### UI PRs
 
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ make format
 # Run all linting checks (matches CI exactly)
 make lint
 
-# Run unit tests to ensure nothing is broken
-make test-unit
+# Run the tests covering your change (CI runs the full suite)
+uv run pytest tests/test_litellm/<your_test_file>.py -v
 
 # Commit your changes (must follow Conventional Commits — see above)
 git add .
@@ -123,12 +123,13 @@ def test_your_feature():
 
 ### Running Unit Tests
 
-Run all unit tests (uses parallel execution for speed):
-
+Run the tests covering your change:
 ```bash
-make test-unit
+uv run pytest tests/test_litellm/test_your_file.py -v
 ```
 
+`tests/test_litellm` holds thousands of tests, so running all of it locally takes a long time. CI runs it as a parallel matrix (`make test-unit-llms`, `make test-unit-proxy-core`, and the other `test-unit-*` targets, see `make help`), so reach for the group that covers your change instead of the whole suite. `make test-unit` runs everything when you really want it.
+
 If you're running broader test suites, proxy tests, or anything that touches PostgreSQL-backed fixtures/plugins, install the full local test environment first:
 
 ```bash
@@ -137,11 +138,6 @@ make install-test-deps
 
 This syncs the locked test environment used across the repo, including `psycopg` v3 plus `psycopg-binary` (used by `pytest-postgresql`), `psycopg2-binary` (used by some proxy E2E tests), and a generated Prisma client for DB-backed proxy tests, so pytest startup matches CI without manual package installs.
 
-Run specific test files:
-```bash
-uv run pytest tests/test_litellm/test_your_file.py -v
-```
-
 ### Running Linting and Formatting Checks
 
 Run all linting checks (matches CI exactly):