diff --git a/Lib/test/test_descr.py b/Lib/test/test_descr.py
index afb0f877b28..32f9090d60c 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_descr.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_descr.py
@@ -1556,16 +1556,25 @@ order (MRO) for bases """
             return 0
         def stop(self):
             raise StopIteration
+        def return_true(self, thing=None):
+            return True
+        def do_isinstance(obj):
+            return isinstance(int, obj)
+        def do_issubclass(obj):
+            return issubclass(int, obj)
 
         # It would be nice to have every special method tested here, but I'm
         # only listing the ones I can remember outside of typeobject.c, since it
         # does it right.
         specials = [
-            ("__bytes__", bytes, hello, {}),
-            ("__reversed__", reversed, empty_seq, {}),
-            ("__length_hint__", list, zero,
+            ("__bytes__", bytes, hello, set(), {}),
+            ("__reversed__", reversed, empty_seq, set(), {}),
+            ("__length_hint__", list, zero, set(),
              {"__iter__" : iden, "__next__" : stop}),
-            ("__sizeof__", sys.getsizeof, zero, {}),
+            ("__sizeof__", sys.getsizeof, zero, set(), {}),
+            ("__instancecheck__", do_isinstance, return_true, set(), {}),
+            ("__subclasscheck__", do_issubclass, return_true,
+             set(("__bases__",)), {}),
             # These two fail because the compiler generates LOAD_ATTR to look
             # them up.  We'd have to add a new opcode to fix this, and it's
             # probably not worth it.
@@ -1577,7 +1586,9 @@ order (MRO) for bases """
             def __getattr__(self, attr, test=self):
                 test.fail("__getattr__ called with {0}".format(attr))
             def __getattribute__(self, attr, test=self):
-                test.fail("__getattribute__ called with {0}".format(attr))
+                if attr not in ok:
+                    test.fail("__getattribute__ called with {0}".format(attr))
+                return object.__getattribute__(attr)
         class SpecialDescr(object):
             def __init__(self, impl):
                 self.impl = impl
@@ -1586,7 +1597,7 @@ order (MRO) for bases """
                 return self.impl.__get__(obj, owner)
 
 
-        for name, runner, meth_impl, env in specials:
+        for name, runner, meth_impl, ok, env in specials:
             class X(Checker):
                 pass
             for attr, obj in env.items():
diff --git a/Objects/abstract.c b/Objects/abstract.c
index cc125f5fa47..ae536a78d16 100644
--- a/Objects/abstract.c
+++ b/Objects/abstract.c
@@ -2574,14 +2574,8 @@ PyObject_IsInstance(PyObject *inst, PyObject *cls)
 		Py_LeaveRecursiveCall();
 		return r;
 	}
-	if (name == NULL) {
-		name = PyUnicode_InternFromString("__instancecheck__");
-		if (name == NULL)
-			return -1;
-	}
-	checker = PyObject_GetAttr(cls, name);
-	if (checker == NULL && PyErr_Occurred())
-		PyErr_Clear();
+
+	checker = _PyObject_LookupSpecial(cls, "__instancecheck__", &name);
 	if (checker != NULL) {
 		PyObject *res;
 		int ok = -1;
@@ -2644,14 +2638,8 @@ PyObject_IsSubclass(PyObject *derived, PyObject *cls)
 		Py_LeaveRecursiveCall();
 		return r;
 	}
-	if (name == NULL) {
-		name = PyUnicode_InternFromString("__subclasscheck__");
-		if (name == NULL)
-			return -1;
-	}
-	PyErr_Fetch(&t, &v, &tb);
-	checker = PyObject_GetAttr(cls, name);
-	PyErr_Restore(t, v, tb);
+
+	checker = _PyObject_LookupSpecial(cls, "__subclasscheck__", &name);
 	if (checker != NULL) {
 		PyObject *res;
 		int ok = -1;
diff --git a/Objects/typeobject.c b/Objects/typeobject.c
index 7e81ce66270..0035f6d34c1 100644
--- a/Objects/typeobject.c
+++ b/Objects/typeobject.c
@@ -598,14 +598,6 @@ type___instancecheck__(PyObject *type, PyObject *inst)
 }
 
 
-static PyObject *
-type_get_instancecheck(PyObject *type, void *context)
-{
-	static PyMethodDef ml = {"__instancecheck__",
-				 type___instancecheck__, METH_O };
-	return PyCFunction_New(&ml, type);
-}
-
 static PyObject *
 type___subclasscheck__(PyObject *type, PyObject *inst)
 {
@@ -619,13 +611,6 @@ type___subclasscheck__(PyObject *type, PyObject *inst)
 	}
 }
 
-static PyObject *
-type_get_subclasscheck(PyObject *type, void *context)
-{
-	static PyMethodDef ml = {"__subclasscheck__",
-				 type___subclasscheck__, METH_O };
-	return PyCFunction_New(&ml, type);
-}
 
 static PyGetSetDef type_getsets[] = {
 	{"__name__", (getter)type_name, (setter)type_set_name, NULL},
@@ -635,8 +620,6 @@ static PyGetSetDef type_getsets[] = {
 	 (setter)type_set_abstractmethods, NULL},
 	{"__dict__",  (getter)type_dict,  NULL, NULL},
 	{"__doc__", (getter)type_get_doc, NULL, NULL},
-	{"__instancecheck__", (getter)type_get_instancecheck, NULL, NULL},
-	{"__subclasscheck__", (getter)type_get_subclasscheck, NULL, NULL},
 	{0}
 };
 
@@ -2518,6 +2501,10 @@ static PyMethodDef type_methods[] = {
 	 METH_VARARGS | METH_KEYWORDS | METH_CLASS,
          PyDoc_STR("__prepare__() -> dict\n"
                    "used to create the namespace for the class statement")},
+	{"__instancecheck__", type___instancecheck__, METH_O,
+	 PyDoc_STR("__instancecheck__() -> check if an object is an instance")},
+	{"__subclasscheck__", type___subclasscheck__, METH_O,
+	 PyDoc_STR("__subclasschck__ -> check if an class is a subclass")},
 	{0}
 };