diff --git a/Lib/test/test_concurrent_futures.py b/Lib/test/test_concurrent_futures.py
@@ -772,6 +772,7 @@ def notification():
        t.start()

        self.assertEqual(f1.result(timeout=5), 42)

    def test_result_with_cancel(self):
        # TODO(brian@sweetapp.com): This test is timing dependent.
@@ -785,6 +786,7 @@ def notification():
        t.start()

        self.assertRaises(futures.CancelledError, f1.result, timeout=5)

    def test_exception_with_timeout(self):
        self.assertRaises(futures.TimeoutError,
@@ -813,6 +815,7 @@ def notification():
        t.start()

        self.assertTrue(isinstance(f1.exception(timeout=5), OSError))

@test.support.reap_threads
def test_main():

diff --git a/Lib/test/test_decimal.py b/Lib/test/test_decimal.py
@@ -1618,6 +1618,9 @@ def test_threading(self):
        for sig in Signals[self.decimal]:
            self.assertFalse(DefaultContext.flags[sig])

        DefaultContext.prec = save_prec
        DefaultContext.Emax = save_emax
        DefaultContext.Emin = save_emin

diff --git a/Lib/test/test_smtplib.py b/Lib/test/test_smtplib.py
@@ -611,7 +611,9 @@ def setUp(self):
        self.sock.settimeout(15)
        self.port = support.bind_port(self.sock)
        servargs = (self.evt, self.respdata, self.sock)
-        threading.Thread(target=server, args=servargs).start()
        self.evt.wait()
        self.evt.clear()


diff --git a/Lib/test/test_xmlrpc.py b/Lib/test/test_xmlrpc.py
@@ -755,7 +755,9 @@ def setUp(self):
        self.evt = threading.Event()
        # start server thread to handle requests
        serv_args = (self.evt, self.request_count, self.requestHandler)
-        threading.Thread(target=self.threadFunc, args=serv_args).start()

        # wait for the server to be ready
        self.evt.wait()
@@ -1206,7 +1208,9 @@ def setUp(self):
        self.evt = threading.Event()
        # start server thread to handle requests
        serv_args = (self.evt, 1)
-        threading.Thread(target=http_server, args=serv_args).start()

        # wait for the server to be ready
        self.evt.wait()