diff --git a/Lib/test/test_ssl.py b/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
index 13baeaed6a0..813968ead6f 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_ssl.py
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ else:
                 if test_support.verbose:
                     sys.stdout.write("\nsocket.error is %s\n" % x[1])
             else:
-                self.fail("Use of invalid cert should have failed!")
+                raise AssertionError("Use of invalid cert should have failed!")
         finally:
             server.stop()
             server.join()
@@ -712,7 +712,7 @@ else:
                     if test_support.verbose:
                         sys.stdout.write(" client:  read %s\n" % repr(outdata))
                 if outdata != indata.lower():
-                    self.fail(
+                    raise AssertionError(
                         "bad data <<%s>> (%d) received; expected <<%s>> (%d)\n"
                         % (outdata[:min(len(outdata),20)], len(outdata),
                            indata[:min(len(indata),20)].lower(), len(indata)))
@@ -759,7 +759,7 @@ else:
                 raise
         else:
             if not expect_success:
-                self.fail(
+                raise AssertionError(
                     "Client protocol %s succeeded with server protocol %s!"
                     % (ssl.get_protocol_name(client_protocol),
                        ssl.get_protocol_name(server_protocol)))