diff --git a/test/bin/windows-shims.js b/test/bin/windows-shims.js
index 500a5e3c2d25b..8d73e39f2c4d1 100644
--- a/test/bin/windows-shims.js
+++ b/test/bin/windows-shims.js
@@ -85,6 +85,11 @@ for (const [name, bash] of bashes) {
     continue
   }
 
+  if (bash === cygwinBash && process.env.NYC_CONFIG) {
+    t.skip('Cygwin does not play nicely with NYC, run without coverage')
+    continue
+  }
+
   t.test(name, async t => {
     t.plan(2)
     t.test('npm', async t => {
diff --git a/test/coverage-map.js b/test/coverage-map.js
index f247c051f0a2d..63f2a608e0ee3 100644
--- a/test/coverage-map.js
+++ b/test/coverage-map.js
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ const coverageMap = (filename) => {
     return glob.sync(`${dir}/**/*.js`)
       .map(f => relative(process.cwd(), f))
   }
+  if (/windows-shims\.js$/.test(filename)) {
+    // this one doesn't provide any coverage nyc can track
+    return []
+  }
   if (/^test\/(lib|bin)\//.test(filename))
     return filename.replace(/^test\//, '')
   return []
diff --git a/test/lib/doctor.js b/test/lib/doctor.js
index f5e6fd062a331..48f95df755bff 100644
--- a/test/lib/doctor.js
+++ b/test/lib/doctor.js
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ test('node versions', t => {
         const dir = st.testdir({
           cache: {
             one: 'one',
-            link: st.fixture('symlink', './one'),
+            link: st.fixture('symlink', './baddir'),
             unreadable: 'unreadable',
             baddir: {},
           },
diff --git a/test/lib/npm.js b/test/lib/npm.js
index 9fd9888b97b75..18d49ba6776eb 100644
--- a/test/lib/npm.js
+++ b/test/lib/npm.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 const t = require('tap')
-const fs = require('fs')
 
 // delete this so that we don't have configs from the fact that it
 // is being run by 'npm test'
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ for (const env of Object.keys(process.env).filter(e => /^npm_/.test(e))) {
   delete process.env[env]
 }
 
-const { resolve } = require('path')
+const { resolve, dirname } = require('path')
 
 const actualPlatform = process.platform
 
@@ -249,13 +248,11 @@ t.test('npm.load', t => {
     const node = actualPlatform === 'win32' ? 'node.exe' : 'node'
     const dir = t.testdir({
       '.npmrc': 'foo = bar',
+      bin: t.fixture('symlink', dirname(process.execPath)),
     })
 
-    // create manually to set the 'file' option in windows
-    fs.symlinkSync(process.execPath, resolve(dir, node), 'file')
-
     const PATH = process.env.PATH || process.env.Path
-    process.env.PATH = dir
+    process.env.PATH = resolve(dir, 'bin')
     const { execPath, argv: processArgv } = process
     process.argv = [
       node,
@@ -294,7 +291,7 @@ t.test('npm.load', t => {
         [
           'verbose',
           'node symlink',
-          resolve(dir, node),
+          resolve(dir, 'bin', node),
         ],
         [
           'timing',
@@ -303,7 +300,7 @@ t.test('npm.load', t => {
         ],
       ])
       logs.length = 0
-      t.equal(process.execPath, resolve(dir, node))
+      t.equal(process.execPath, resolve(dir, 'bin', node))
     })
 
     await npm.commands.ll([], (er) => {