diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index 4312e6fcf37e61..94f77eda5148f2 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -373,7 +373,7 @@ Synchronous version of `spawnPwd`.
 ### tmpDir
 * return [<String>](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Data_structures#String_type)
 
-Path to the 'tmp' directory.
+The realpath of the 'tmp' directory.
 
 ### tmpDirName
 * return [<String>](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Data_structures#String_type)
diff --git a/test/common.js b/test/common.js
index 75fcc58379be46..bb5c20241dceb2 100644
--- a/test/common.js
+++ b/test/common.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ const Timer = process.binding('timer_wrap').Timer;
 const execSync = require('child_process').execSync;
 
 const testRoot = process.env.NODE_TEST_DIR ?
-                   path.resolve(process.env.NODE_TEST_DIR) : __dirname;
+                   fs.realpathSync(process.env.NODE_TEST_DIR) : __dirname;
 
 exports.fixturesDir = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures');
 exports.tmpDirName = 'tmp';
diff --git a/tools/test.py b/tools/test.py
index c8edca2b991ad2..b6db2cd68e3f7e 100755
--- a/tools/test.py
+++ b/tools/test.py
@@ -1628,9 +1628,9 @@ def Main():
 
   tempdir = os.environ.get('NODE_TEST_DIR') or options.temp_dir
   if tempdir:
+    os.environ['NODE_TEST_DIR'] = tempdir
     try:
       os.makedirs(tempdir)
-      os.environ['NODE_TEST_DIR'] = tempdir
     except OSError as exception:
       if exception.errno != errno.EEXIST:
         print "Could not create the temporary directory", options.temp_dir