diff --git a/testsuite/expect/test1.34 b/testsuite/expect/test1.34
index 91ec002bf40eb7fa4390c961459acb23ad5ad7fa..bd45d6446fab8a8e3bbe8eab9a14eec5adc4f57a 100755
--- a/testsuite/expect/test1.34
+++ b/testsuite/expect/test1.34
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ set timeout $max_job_delay
 set srun_pid [spawn $srun -n1 -O $test_prog]
 expect {
 	-re "Segmentation fault" {
-		send_user "\nThis error was expected, no worries\n"
+		send_user "\nThis Seg Fault was expected, no worries\n"
 		set matches 1
 		exp_continue
 	}
diff --git a/testsuite/expect/test20.3 b/testsuite/expect/test20.3
index adf6c54f67d89e562f95b7deea40dc7ea359f284..c1a345ed386114be4d0c5f3d0700001f31669140 100755
--- a/testsuite/expect/test20.3
+++ b/testsuite/expect/test20.3
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ if {$job_id == 0} {
 	exit 1
 }
 
+set status 1
 spawn $qdel $job_id
 expect {
 	-re "Invalid job id" {
@@ -81,15 +82,22 @@ expect {
 		set exit_code 1
 	}
 	eof {
-		wait
+		catch wait reason
+		set status [lindex $reason 3]
 	}
 }
 
+if {$status != 0} {
+	send_user "\nFAILURE: it appears things worked ok, but we got a non-zero exit from qdel\n"
+	set exit_code 1
+}
+
+set status 0
 set matches 0
 spawn $qdel $job_id
 expect {
 	-re "already completing or completed" {
-		send_user "\nThis error was expected, no worries\n"
+		send_user "\nWe shouldn't see this because qdel doesn't print an error for this.\n"
 		incr matches
 		exp_continue
 	}
@@ -98,10 +106,13 @@ expect {
 		set exit_code 1
 	}
 	eof {
-		wait
+		catch wait reason
+		set status [lindex $reason 3]
 	}
 }
-if {$matches != 1} {
+
+# we should get and error code here from qdel, but no message
+if {($matches != 0) || ($status == 0)} {
 	send_user "\nFAILURE: No error on attempt to cancel terminated job\n"
 	set exit_code 1
 }