diff --git a/src/syscall/creds_test.go b/src/syscall/creds_test.go
index 463033d5580..736b497bc40 100644
--- a/src/syscall/creds_test.go
+++ b/src/syscall/creds_test.go
@@ -38,16 +38,19 @@ func TestSCMCredentials(t *testing.T) {
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatalf("Socketpair: %v", err)
 		}
-		defer syscall.Close(fds[0])
-		defer syscall.Close(fds[1])
 
 		err = syscall.SetsockoptInt(fds[0], syscall.SOL_SOCKET, syscall.SO_PASSCRED, 1)
 		if err != nil {
+			syscall.Close(fds[0])
+			syscall.Close(fds[1])
 			t.Fatalf("SetsockoptInt: %v", err)
 		}
 
 		srvFile := os.NewFile(uintptr(fds[0]), "server")
+		cliFile := os.NewFile(uintptr(fds[1]), "client")
 		defer srvFile.Close()
+		defer cliFile.Close()
+
 		srv, err := net.FileConn(srvFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("FileConn: %v", err)
@@ -55,8 +58,6 @@ func TestSCMCredentials(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		defer srv.Close()
 
-		cliFile := os.NewFile(uintptr(fds[1]), "client")
-		defer cliFile.Close()
 		cli, err := net.FileConn(cliFile)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Errorf("FileConn: %v", err)
diff --git a/src/syscall/syscall_unix_test.go b/src/syscall/syscall_unix_test.go
index ce56c21ff26..af0bc856ee8 100644
--- a/src/syscall/syscall_unix_test.go
+++ b/src/syscall/syscall_unix_test.go
@@ -159,8 +159,6 @@ func TestPassFD(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Socketpair: %v", err)
 	}
-	defer syscall.Close(fds[0])
-	defer syscall.Close(fds[1])
 	writeFile := os.NewFile(uintptr(fds[0]), "child-writes")
 	readFile := os.NewFile(uintptr(fds[1]), "parent-reads")
 	defer writeFile.Close()