diff --git a/pandas/tests/io/msgpack/test_except.py b/pandas/tests/io/msgpack/test_except.py
index 6246e0777daee..5a803c5eba34b 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/io/msgpack/test_except.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/io/msgpack/test_except.py
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 # coding: utf-8
 
-import pytest
-
+from datetime import datetime
 from pandas.io.msgpack import packb, unpackb
 
+import pytest
+import pandas.util.testing as tm
+
 
 class DummyException(Exception):
     pass
@@ -12,12 +14,13 @@ class DummyException(Exception):
 class TestExceptions(object):
 
     def test_raise_on_find_unsupported_value(self):
-        import datetime
-        pytest.raises(TypeError, packb, datetime.datetime.now())
+        msg = "can\'t serialize datetime"
+        with tm.assert_raises_regex(TypeError, msg):
+            packb(datetime.now())
 
     def test_raise_from_object_hook(self):
-        def hook(obj):
-            raise DummyException
+        def hook(_):
+            raise DummyException()
 
         pytest.raises(DummyException, unpackb, packb({}), object_hook=hook)
         pytest.raises(DummyException, unpackb, packb({'fizz': 'buzz'}),
@@ -30,5 +33,7 @@ def hook(obj):
                       packb({'fizz': {'buzz': 'spam'}}),
                       object_pairs_hook=hook)
 
-    def test_invalidvalue(self):
-        pytest.raises(ValueError, unpackb, b'\xd9\x97#DL_')
+    def test_invalid_value(self):
+        msg = "Unpack failed: error"
+        with tm.assert_raises_regex(ValueError, msg):
+            unpackb(b"\xd9\x97#DL_")
diff --git a/pandas/tests/series/test_validate.py b/pandas/tests/series/test_validate.py
index 134fa0a38f618..f9d8102ea0ebb 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/series/test_validate.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/series/test_validate.py
@@ -1,30 +1,26 @@
-import pytest
 from pandas.core.series import Series
 
+import pytest
+import pandas.util.testing as tm
+
 
 class TestSeriesValidate(object):
     """Tests for error handling related to data types of method arguments."""
-    s = Series([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
-
-    def test_validate_bool_args(self):
-        # Tests for error handling related to boolean arguments.
-        invalid_values = [1, "True", [1, 2, 3], 5.0]
-
-        for value in invalid_values:
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s.reset_index(inplace=value)
-
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s._set_name(name='hello', inplace=value)
 
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s.sort_values(inplace=value)
+    @classmethod
+    def setup_class(cls):
+        cls.s = Series([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
 
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s.sort_index(inplace=value)
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("func", ["reset_index", "_set_name",
+                                      "sort_values", "sort_index",
+                                      "rename", "dropna"])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("inplace", [1, "True", [1, 2, 3], 5.0])
+    def test_validate_bool_args(self, func, inplace):
+        msg = "For argument \"inplace\" expected type bool"
+        kwargs = dict(inplace=inplace)
 
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s.rename(inplace=value)
+        if func == "_set_name":
+            kwargs["name"] = "hello"
 
-            with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-                self.s.dropna(inplace=value)
+        with tm.assert_raises_regex(ValueError, msg):
+            getattr(self.s, func)(**kwargs)