So, it works if you do it in the browser, but not in your test?
If that is the case, are you sure that you are not accidentally double hashing your password or something like that?
If you have a setPasswordAttribute on your User model that automatically hashes the password, then that could be the problem.
Otherwise, I'll need to know more in order to help you.
no it is working in my test too, when I hard code a user and pw from a user I know is in the db. This is working with the unhashed password and I guess I need to use the un-hashed pw for filling out the form in the test.
You want to use create() not make() so your user will be saved to the database. You'll also want to enable database transactions so the database is reset after the test.