diff --git a/scrapy/commands/check.py b/scrapy/commands/check.py
index 95fc78a36..56af93548 100644
--- a/scrapy/commands/check.py
+++ b/scrapy/commands/check.py
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
         ScrapyCommand.add_options(self, parser)
         parser.add_option("-l", "--list", dest="list", action="store_true",
             help="only list contracts, without checking them")
+        parser.add_option("-v", "--verbose", dest="verbose", default=1, action="count",
+            help="print all contract hooks")
 
     def run(self, args, opts):
         # load contracts
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ class Command(ScrapyCommand):
             self.settings['SPIDER_CONTRACTS'],
         )
         self.conman = ContractsManager([load_object(c) for c in contracts])
-        self.results = TextTestRunner()._makeResult()
+        self.results = TextTestRunner(verbosity=opts.verbose)._makeResult()
 
         # contract requests
         contract_reqs = defaultdict(list)
diff --git a/scrapy/contracts/__init__.py b/scrapy/contracts/__init__.py
index a9c2c2f83..55f2cab52 100644
--- a/scrapy/contracts/__init__.py
+++ b/scrapy/contracts/__init__.py
@@ -8,17 +8,6 @@ from scrapy.utils.spider import iterate_spider_output
 from scrapy.utils.python import get_spec
 
 
-def create_testcase(method):
-    name = '%s.%s' % (method.__self__.__class__.__name__, method.__name__)
-
-    class ContractTestCase(TestCase):
-        def __str__(self):
-            return "%s (%s)" % (name, method.__self__.name)
-
-    setattr(ContractTestCase, name, lambda x: x)
-    return ContractTestCase(name)
-
-
 class ContractsManager(object):
     contracts = {}
 
@@ -66,53 +55,67 @@ class Contract(object):
     """ Abstract class for contracts """
 
     def __init__(self, method, *args):
-        self.testcase = create_testcase(method)
+        self.testcase_pre = self.create_testcase(method, 'pre-hook')
+        self.testcase_post = self.create_testcase(method, 'post-hook')
         self.args = args
 
+    def create_testcase(self, method, hook):
+        spider = method.__self__.name
+
+        class ContractTestCase(TestCase):
+            def __str__(_self):
+                return "[%s] %s (@%s %s)" % (spider, method.__name__, self.name, hook)
+
+        name = '%s_%s' % (spider, method.__name__)
+        setattr(ContractTestCase, name, lambda x: x)
+        return ContractTestCase(name)
+
     def add_pre_hook(self, request, results):
-        cb = request.callback
+        if hasattr(self, 'pre_process'):
+            cb = request.callback
 
-        @wraps(cb)
-        def wrapper(response):
-            try:
-                self.pre_process(response)
-            except AssertionError:
-                results.addFailure(self.testcase, sys.exc_info())
-            except Exception:
-                results.addError(self.testcase, sys.exc_info())
-            else:
-                results.addSuccess(self.testcase)
-            finally:
-                return list(iterate_spider_output(cb(response)))
+            @wraps(cb)
+            def wrapper(response):
+                try:
+                    results.startTest(self.testcase_pre)
+                    self.pre_process(response)
+                    results.stopTest(self.testcase_pre)
+                except AssertionError:
+                    results.addFailure(self.testcase_pre, sys.exc_info())
+                except Exception:
+                    results.addError(self.testcase_pre, sys.exc_info())
+                else:
+                    results.addSuccess(self.testcase_pre)
+                finally:
+                    return list(iterate_spider_output(cb(response)))
+
+            request.callback = wrapper
 
-        request.callback = wrapper
         return request
 
     def add_post_hook(self, request, results):
-        cb = request.callback
+        if hasattr(self, 'post_process'):
+            cb = request.callback
 
-        @wraps(cb)
-        def wrapper(response):
-            try:
-                output = list(iterate_spider_output(cb(response)))
-                self.post_process(output)
-            except AssertionError:
-                results.addFailure(self.testcase, sys.exc_info())
-            except Exception:
-                results.addError(self.testcase, sys.exc_info())
-            else:
-                results.addSuccess(self.testcase)
-            finally:
-                return output
+            @wraps(cb)
+            def wrapper(response):
+                try:
+                    output = list(iterate_spider_output(cb(response)))
+                    results.startTest(self.testcase_post)
+                    self.post_process(output)
+                    results.stopTest(self.testcase_post)
+                except AssertionError:
+                    results.addFailure(self.testcase_post, sys.exc_info())
+                except Exception:
+                    results.addError(self.testcase_post, sys.exc_info())
+                else:
+                    results.addSuccess(self.testcase_post)
+                finally:
+                    return output
+
+            request.callback = wrapper
 
-        request.callback = wrapper
         return request
 
     def adjust_request_args(self, args):
         return args
-
-    def pre_process(self, response):
-        pass
-
-    def post_process(self, output):
-        pass
diff --git a/scrapy/tests/test_contracts.py b/scrapy/tests/test_contracts.py
index 07210d0f3..38d2e56fc 100644
--- a/scrapy/tests/test_contracts.py
+++ b/scrapy/tests/test_contracts.py
@@ -86,20 +86,20 @@ class ContractsManagerTest(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertFalse(self.results.errors)
 
     def test_contracts(self):
+        spider = TestSpider()
+
         # extract contracts correctly
-        contracts = self.conman.extract_contracts(TestSpider.returns_request)
+        contracts = self.conman.extract_contracts(spider.returns_request)
         self.assertEqual(len(contracts), 2)
         self.assertEqual(frozenset(map(type, contracts)),
             frozenset([UrlContract, ReturnsContract]))
 
         # returns request for valid method
-        request = self.conman.from_method(TestSpider.returns_request,
-                self.results)
+        request = self.conman.from_method(spider.returns_request, self.results)
         self.assertNotEqual(request, None)
 
         # no request for missing url
-        request = self.conman.from_method(TestSpider.parse_no_url,
-                self.results)
+        request = self.conman.from_method(spider.parse_no_url, self.results)
         self.assertEqual(request, None)
 
     def test_returns(self):