diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
index f84b727c8662f8..9f422a644379e8 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-write-stream.js
@@ -56,13 +56,12 @@ tmpdir.refresh();
 // Throws if data is not of type Buffer.
 {
   const stream = fs.createWriteStream(file);
-  stream.on('error', common.expectsError({
+  stream.on('error', common.mustNotCall());
+  assert.throws(() => {
+    stream.write(42);
+  }, {
     code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
     name: 'TypeError'
-  }));
-  stream.write(42, null, common.expectsError({
-    code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
-    name: 'TypeError'
-  }));
+  });
   stream.destroy();
 }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-net-socket-write-error.js b/test/parallel/test-net-socket-write-error.js
index ab748480ea3c52..e68db68c0d4939 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-net-socket-write-error.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-net-socket-write-error.js
@@ -2,19 +2,19 @@
 
 const common = require('../common');
 const net = require('net');
+const assert = require('assert');
 
 const server = net.createServer().listen(0, connectToServer);
 
 function connectToServer() {
   const client = net.createConnection(this.address().port, () => {
-    client.write(1337, common.expectsError({
+    client.on('error', common.mustNotCall());
+    assert.throws(() => {
+      client.write(1337);
+    }, {
       code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
       name: 'TypeError'
-    }));
-    client.on('error', common.expectsError({
-      code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
-      name: 'TypeError'
-    }));
+    });
 
     client.destroy();
   })
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-net-write-arguments.js b/test/parallel/test-net-write-arguments.js
index 407871afe6d3b3..2b81ed7d6a3634 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-net-write-arguments.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-net-write-arguments.js
@@ -1,20 +1,18 @@
 'use strict';
 const common = require('../common');
 const net = require('net');
-
+const assert = require('assert');
 const socket = net.Stream({ highWaterMark: 0 });
 
 // Make sure that anything besides a buffer or a string throws.
-socket.write(null, common.expectsError({
+socket.on('error', common.mustNotCall());
+assert.throws(() => {
+  socket.write(null);
+}, {
   code: 'ERR_STREAM_NULL_VALUES',
   name: 'TypeError',
   message: 'May not write null values to stream'
-}));
-socket.on('error', common.expectsError({
-  code: 'ERR_STREAM_NULL_VALUES',
-  name: 'TypeError',
-  message: 'May not write null values to stream'
-}));
+});
 
 [
   true,
@@ -29,10 +27,12 @@ socket.on('error', common.expectsError({
 ].forEach((value) => {
   // We need to check the callback since 'error' will only
   // be emitted once per instance.
-  socket.write(value, common.expectsError({
+  assert.throws(() => {
+    socket.write(value);
+  }, {
     code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
     name: 'TypeError',
     message: 'The "chunk" argument must be of type string or an instance of ' +
               `Buffer or Uint8Array.${common.invalidArgTypeHelper(value)}`
-  }));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stream2-writable.js b/test/parallel/test-stream2-writable.js
index 0d9bc03fae7a94..03835bb1bd0465 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-stream2-writable.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stream2-writable.js
@@ -422,12 +422,12 @@ const helloWorldBuffer = Buffer.from('hello world');
 {
   // Verify that error is only emitted once when failing in write.
   const w = new W();
-  w.on('error', common.mustCall((err) => {
-    assert.strictEqual(w._writableState.errorEmitted, true);
-    assert.strictEqual(err.code, 'ERR_STREAM_NULL_VALUES');
-  }));
-  w.write(null);
-  w.destroy(new Error());
+  w.on('error', common.mustNotCall());
+  assert.throws(() => {
+    w.write(null);
+  }, {
+    code: 'ERR_STREAM_NULL_VALUES'
+  });
 }
 
 {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-zlib-invalid-input.js b/test/parallel/test-zlib-invalid-input.js
index 68fa3825b91ced..bd43499ce1d1f0 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-zlib-invalid-input.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-zlib-invalid-input.js
@@ -43,10 +43,10 @@ const unzips = [
 ];
 
 nonStringInputs.forEach(common.mustCall((input) => {
-  // zlib.gunzip should not throw an error when called with bad input.
-  zlib.gunzip(input, (err, buffer) => {
-    // zlib.gunzip should pass the error to the callback.
-    assert.ok(err);
+  assert.throws(() => {
+    zlib.gunzip(input);
+  }, {
+    name: 'TypeError'
   });
 }, nonStringInputs.length));
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-zlib-object-write.js b/test/parallel/test-zlib-object-write.js
index df533d77b3fcdd..9b9b329cfae9e6 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-zlib-object-write.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-zlib-object-write.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const common = require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
 const { Gunzip } = require('zlib');
 
 const gunzip = new Gunzip({ objectMode: true });
-gunzip.write({}, common.expectsError({
+gunzip.on('error', common.mustNotCall());
+assert.throws(() => {
+  gunzip.write({});
+}, {
   name: 'TypeError'
-}));
-gunzip.on('error', common.expectsError({
-  name: 'TypeError'
-}));
+});