diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pyexpat.py b/Lib/test/test_pyexpat.py
index baa4f178427d53..0019477cd1368b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_pyexpat.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pyexpat.py
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@
 from xml.parsers.expat import errors
 
 
+# pyexpat built with expat 2.6.0+ has support for reparse deferral
+# and defaults to enabled
+HAS_REPARSE_DEFERRAL = expat.ParserCreate().GetReparseDeferralEnabled()
+
+
 class SetAttributeTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def setUp(self):
         self.parser = expat.ParserCreate(namespace_separator='!')
@@ -1097,7 +1102,7 @@ def test_error_path_no_crash(self):
 class ReparseDeferralTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_getter_setter_round_trip(self):
         parser = expat.ParserCreate()
-        enabled = (expat.version_info >= (2, 6, 0))
+        enabled = HAS_REPARSE_DEFERRAL
 
         self.assertIs(parser.GetReparseDeferralEnabled(), enabled)
         parser.SetReparseDeferralEnabled(False)
@@ -1106,8 +1111,8 @@ def test_getter_setter_round_trip(self):
         self.assertIs(parser.GetReparseDeferralEnabled(), enabled)
 
     def test_reparse_deferral_enabled(self):
-        if expat.version_info < (2, 6, 0):
-            self.skipTest(f'Expat {expat.version_info} does not '
+        if not HAS_REPARSE_DEFERRAL:
+            self.skipTest(f'Expat < 2.6.0 does not '
                           'support reparse deferral')
 
         started = []
@@ -1137,7 +1142,7 @@ def start_element(name, _):
 
         parser = expat.ParserCreate()
         parser.StartElementHandler = start_element
-        if expat.version_info >= (2, 6, 0):
+        if HAS_REPARSE_DEFERRAL:
             parser.SetReparseDeferralEnabled(False)
         self.assertFalse(parser.GetReparseDeferralEnabled())
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_sax.py b/Lib/test/test_sax.py
index 29babd7bf6996a..27ae6c8a953149 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_sax.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_sax.py
@@ -1216,8 +1216,8 @@ def test_expat_incremental_reset(self):
 
         self.assertEqual(result.getvalue(), start + b"<doc>text</doc>")
 
-    @unittest.skipIf(pyexpat.version_info < (2, 6, 0),
-                     f'Expat {pyexpat.version_info} does not '
+    @unittest.skipIf(not pyexpat.ParserCreate().GetReparseDeferralEnabled(),
+                     'Python compiled with Expat < 2.6.0 does not '
                      'support reparse deferral')
     def test_flush_reparse_deferral_enabled(self):
         result = BytesIO()
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_xml_etree.py b/Lib/test/test_xml_etree.py
index 0c944516ae115f..df2815a71e5fc2 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_xml_etree.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_xml_etree.py
@@ -1915,8 +1915,8 @@ def test_unknown_event(self):
         with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, "unknown event 'bogus'"):
             ET.XMLPullParser(events=(x.decode() for x in (b'start', b'end', b'bogus')))
 
-    @unittest.skipIf(pyexpat.version_info < (2, 6, 0),
-                     f'Expat {pyexpat.version_info} does not '
+    @unittest.skipIf(not pyexpat.ParserCreate().GetReparseDeferralEnabled(),
+                     'Python compiled with Expat < 2.6.0 does not '
                      'support reparse deferral')
     def test_flush_reparse_deferral_enabled(self):
         parser = ET.XMLPullParser(events=('start', 'end'))