diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-context-async-script.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-context-async-script.js
index 87b6f501111a7c..879315e37bb3e0 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-context-async-script.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-context-async-script.js
@@ -20,16 +20,16 @@
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
 'use strict';
-require('../common');
+const common = require('../common');
 const assert = require('assert');
 const vm = require('vm');
 
-const sandbox = { setTimeout: setTimeout };
+const sandbox = { setTimeout };
 
 const ctx = vm.createContext(sandbox);
 
 vm.runInContext('setTimeout(function() { x = 3; }, 0);', ctx);
-setTimeout(function() {
+setTimeout(common.mustCall(() => {
   assert.strictEqual(sandbox.x, 3);
   assert.strictEqual(ctx.x, 3);
-}, 1);
+}), 1);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-context.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-context.js
index 8d47cb52ab994a..7e5404796e7533 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-context.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-context.js
@@ -27,29 +27,29 @@ const vm = require('vm');
 const Script = vm.Script;
 let script = new Script('"passed";');
 
-console.error('run in a new empty context');
+// Run in a new empty context
 let context = vm.createContext();
 let result = script.runInContext(context);
 assert.strictEqual('passed', result);
 
-console.error('create a new pre-populated context');
+// Create a new pre-populated context
 context = vm.createContext({ 'foo': 'bar', 'thing': 'lala' });
 assert.strictEqual('bar', context.foo);
 assert.strictEqual('lala', context.thing);
 
-console.error('test updating context');
+// Test updating context
 script = new Script('foo = 3;');
 result = script.runInContext(context);
 assert.strictEqual(3, context.foo);
 assert.strictEqual('lala', context.thing);
 
 // Issue GH-227:
-assert.throws(function() {
+assert.throws(() => {
   vm.runInNewContext('', null, 'some.js');
 }, /^TypeError: sandbox must be an object$/);
 
 // Issue GH-1140:
-console.error('test runInContext signature');
+// Test runInContext signature
 let gh1140Exception;
 try {
   vm.runInContext('throw new Error()', context, 'expected-filename.js');
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ const contextifiedSandboxErrorMsg =
 });
 
 // Issue GH-693:
-console.error('test RegExp as argument to assert.throws');
+// Test RegExp as argument to assert.throws
 script = vm.createScript('const assert = require(\'assert\'); assert.throws(' +
                          'function() { throw "hello world"; }, /hello/);',
                          'some.js');
@@ -92,13 +92,13 @@ assert.strictEqual(script.runInContext(ctx), false);
 
 // Error on the first line of a module should
 // have the correct line and column number
-assert.throws(function() {
+assert.throws(() => {
   vm.runInContext('throw new Error()', context, {
     filename: 'expected-filename.js',
     lineOffset: 32,
     columnOffset: 123
   });
-}, function(err) {
+}, (err) => {
   return /expected-filename\.js:33:130/.test(err.stack);
 }, 'Expected appearance of proper offset in Error stack');
 
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-create-and-run-in-context.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-create-and-run-in-context.js
index 1adf85460d2aa9..09f643aa90df46 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-create-and-run-in-context.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-create-and-run-in-context.js
@@ -26,23 +26,23 @@ const assert = require('assert');
 
 const vm = require('vm');
 
-console.error('run in a new empty context');
+// Run in a new empty context
 let context = vm.createContext();
 let result = vm.runInContext('"passed";', context);
 assert.strictEqual('passed', result);
 
-console.error('create a new pre-populated context');
+// Create a new pre-populated context
 context = vm.createContext({ 'foo': 'bar', 'thing': 'lala' });
 assert.strictEqual('bar', context.foo);
 assert.strictEqual('lala', context.thing);
 
-console.error('test updating context');
+// Test updating context
 result = vm.runInContext('var foo = 3;', context);
 assert.strictEqual(3, context.foo);
 assert.strictEqual('lala', context.thing);
 
 // https://github.com/nodejs/node/issues/5768
-console.error('run in contextified sandbox without referencing the context');
+// Run in contextified sandbox without referencing the context
 const sandbox = { x: 1 };
 vm.createContext(sandbox);
 global.gc();
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-function-declaration.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-function-declaration.js
index d42a3a3f48058a..875ecef22a7851 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-function-declaration.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-function-declaration.js
@@ -42,5 +42,3 @@ assert.strictEqual(res.name, 'b', 'res should be named b');
 assert.strictEqual(typeof o.a, 'function', 'a should be function');
 assert.strictEqual(typeof o.b, 'function', 'b should be function');
 assert.strictEqual(res, o.b, 'result should be global b function');
-
-console.log('ok');
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-new-context.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-new-context.js
index 045c37ce335199..7015499879959f 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-new-context.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-new-context.js
@@ -36,14 +36,14 @@ const Script = require('vm').Script;
 
 {
   const script = new Script('throw new Error(\'test\');');
-  assert.throws(function() {
+  assert.throws(() => {
     script.runInNewContext();
   }, /^Error: test$/);
 }
 
 {
   const script = new Script('foo.bar = 5;');
-  assert.throws(function() {
+  assert.throws(() => {
     script.runInNewContext();
   }, /^ReferenceError: foo is not defined$/);
 }
@@ -94,14 +94,14 @@ const Script = require('vm').Script;
   script.runInNewContext({ f: f });
   assert.strictEqual(f.a, 2);
 
-  assert.throws(function() {
+  assert.throws(() => {
     script.runInNewContext();
   }, /^ReferenceError: f is not defined$/);
 }
 
 {
   const script = new Script('');
-  assert.throws(function() {
+  assert.throws(() => {
     script.runInNewContext.call('\'hello\';');
   }, /^TypeError: this\.runInContext is not a function$/);
 }
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-this-context.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-this-context.js
index dfa9b1130b1f55..6da47e67249c2b 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-this-context.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-new-script-this-context.js
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ const Script = require('vm').Script;
 
 common.globalCheck = false;
 
-console.error('run a string');
+// Run a string
 let script = new Script('\'passed\';');
 const result = script.runInThisContext(script);
 assert.strictEqual('passed', result);
 
-console.error('thrown error');
+// Thrown error
 script = new Script('throw new Error(\'test\');');
-assert.throws(function() {
+assert.throws(() => {
   script.runInThisContext(script);
 }, /^Error: test$/);
 
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ script.runInThisContext(script);
 assert.strictEqual(2, global.hello);
 
 
-console.error('pass values');
+// Pass values
 global.code = 'foo = 1;' +
               'bar = 2;' +
               'if (typeof baz !== "undefined") throw new Error("test fail");';
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ assert.strictEqual(0, global.obj.foo);
 assert.strictEqual(2, global.bar);
 assert.strictEqual(1, global.foo);
 
-console.error('call a function');
+// Call a function
 global.f = function() { global.foo = 100; };
 script = new Script('f()');
 script.runInThisContext(script);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-run-in-new-context.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-run-in-new-context.js
index 0da73ea6a90726..6157b2445dfccc 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-run-in-new-context.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-run-in-new-context.js
@@ -31,12 +31,12 @@ assert.strictEqual(typeof global.gc, 'function',
 
 common.globalCheck = false;
 
-console.error('run a string');
+// Run a string
 const result = vm.runInNewContext('\'passed\';');
 assert.strictEqual('passed', result);
 
-console.error('thrown error');
-assert.throws(function() {
+// Thrown error
+assert.throws(() => {
   vm.runInNewContext('throw new Error(\'test\');');
 }, /^Error: test$/);
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ vm.runInNewContext('hello = 2');
 assert.strictEqual(5, global.hello);
 
 
-console.error('pass values in and out');
+// Pass values in and out
 global.code = 'foo = 1;' +
               'bar = 2;' +
               'if (baz !== 3) throw new Error(\'test fail\');';
@@ -58,17 +58,17 @@ assert.strictEqual(1, global.obj.foo);
 assert.strictEqual(2, global.obj.bar);
 assert.strictEqual(2, global.foo);
 
-console.error('call a function by reference');
+// Call a function by reference
 function changeFoo() { global.foo = 100; }
 vm.runInNewContext('f()', { f: changeFoo });
 assert.strictEqual(global.foo, 100);
 
-console.error('modify an object by reference');
+// Modify an object by reference
 const f = { a: 1 };
 vm.runInNewContext('f.a = 2', { f: f });
 assert.strictEqual(f.a, 2);
 
-console.error('use function in context without referencing context');
+// Use function in context without referencing context
 const fn = vm.runInNewContext('(function() { obj.p = {}; })', { obj: {} });
 global.gc();
 fn();
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-message.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-message.js
index 89589c5cc9d881..5a16239f5653e9 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-message.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-message.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 'use strict';
-require('../common');
+const common = require('../common');
 const assert = require('assert');
 const child_process = require('child_process');
 
@@ -11,16 +11,12 @@ const p = child_process.spawn(process.execPath, [
       'catch (e) { console.log(e.message); }'
 ]);
 
-p.stderr.on('data', function(data) {
-  assert.fail(`Unexpected stderr data: ${data}`);
-});
+p.stderr.on('data', common.mustNotCall());
 
 let output = '';
 
-p.stdout.on('data', function(data) {
-  output += data;
-});
+p.stdout.on('data', (data) => output += data);
 
-process.on('exit', function() {
+p.stdout.on('end', common.mustCall(() => {
   assert.strictEqual(output.replace(/[\r\n]+/g, ''), 'boo');
-});
+}));
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-stderr.js b/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-stderr.js
index 805bea0f874065..e40edc907c6639 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-stderr.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-vm-syntax-error-stderr.js
@@ -12,18 +12,14 @@ const p = child_process.spawn(process.execPath, [
   wrong_script
 ]);
 
-p.stdout.on('data', function(data) {
-  assert.fail(`Unexpected stdout data: ${data}`);
-});
+p.stdout.on('data', common.mustNotCall());
 
 let output = '';
 
-p.stderr.on('data', function(data) {
-  output += data;
-});
+p.stderr.on('data', (data) => output += data);
 
-process.on('exit', function() {
+p.stderr.on('end', common.mustCall(() => {
   assert(/BEGIN CERT/.test(output));
   assert(/^\s+\^/m.test(output));
   assert(/Invalid left-hand side expression in prefix operation/.test(output));
-});
+}));