diff --git a/Lib/test/regrtest.py b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
--- a/Lib/test/regrtest.py
+++ b/Lib/test/regrtest.py
@@ -1229,38 +1229,25 @@
     'win32':
         """
         test__locale
-        test_crypt
-        test_curses
         test_dbm
-        test_fcntl
         test_fork1
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_dbm_ndbm
-        test_grp
         test_ioctl
         test_largefile
         test_kqueue
         test_openpty
-        test_ossaudiodev
-        test_pipes
         test_poll
-        test_posix
-        test_pty
-        test_pwd
-        test_resource
         test_signal
-        test_syslog
         test_threadsignals
         test_wait3
         test_wait4
         """,
     'linux2':
         """
-        test_curses
         test_largefile
         test_kqueue
-        test_ossaudiodev
         """,
     'unixware7':
         """
@@ -1307,19 +1294,16 @@
     'darwin':
         """
         test__locale
-        test_curses
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_gdb
         test_largefile
         test_locale
         test_minidom
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_poll
         """,
     'sunos5':
         """
-        test_curses
         test_dbm
         test_epoll
         test_kqueue
@@ -1331,7 +1315,6 @@
         """,
     'hp-ux11':
         """
-        test_curses
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_gzip
@@ -1347,28 +1330,22 @@
         """,
     'cygwin':
         """
-        test_curses
         test_dbm
         test_epoll
         test_ioctl
         test_kqueue
         test_largefile
         test_locale
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_socketserver
         """,
     'os2emx':
         """
         test_audioop
-        test_curses
         test_epoll
         test_kqueue
         test_largefile
         test_mmap
         test_openpty
-        test_ossaudiodev
-        test_pty
-        test_resource
         test_signal
         """,
     'freebsd4':
@@ -1376,9 +1353,7 @@
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_locale
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_pep277
-        test_pty
         test_socketserver
         test_tcl
         test_tk
@@ -1395,7 +1370,6 @@
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_gzip
         test_kqueue
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_tcl
         test_tk
         test_ttk_guionly
@@ -1405,12 +1379,10 @@
         """,
     'openbsd3':
         """
-        test_ctypes
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_locale
         test_normalization
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_pep277
         test_tcl
         test_tk
@@ -1420,12 +1392,9 @@
         """,
     'netbsd3':
         """
-        test_ctypes
-        test_curses
         test_epoll
         test_dbm_gnu
         test_locale
-        test_ossaudiodev
         test_pep277
         test_tcl
         test_tk
@@ -1449,40 +1418,16 @@
             s = _expectations[sys.platform]
             self.expected = set(s.split())
 
-            # These are broken tests, for now skipped on every platform.
-            # XXX Fix these!
-            self.expected.add('test_nis')
-
-            # expected to be skipped on every platform, even Linux
-            if not os.path.supports_unicode_filenames:
-                self.expected.add('test_pep277')
-
             # doctest, profile and cProfile tests fail when the codec for the
             # fs encoding isn't built in because PyUnicode_Decode() adds two
             # calls into Python.
+            # XXX listed anywhere else?  Else move to test.support
             encs = ("utf-8", "latin-1", "ascii", "mbcs", "utf-16", "utf-32")
             if sys.getfilesystemencoding().lower() not in encs:
                 self.expected.add('test_profile')
                 self.expected.add('test_cProfile')
                 self.expected.add('test_doctest')
 
-            if test_timeout.skip_expected:
-                self.expected.add('test_timeout')
-
-            if sys.platform != "win32":
-                # test_sqlite is only reliable on Windows where the library
-                # is distributed with Python
-                WIN_ONLY = {"test_unicode_file", "test_winreg",
-                            "test_winsound", "test_startfile",
-                            "test_sqlite"}
-                self.expected |= WIN_ONLY
-
-            if sys.platform != 'sunos5':
-                self.expected.add('test_nis')
-
-            if support.python_is_optimized():
-                self.expected.add("test_gdb")
-
             self.valid = True
 
     def isvalid(self):
diff --git a/Lib/test/support.py b/Lib/test/support.py
--- a/Lib/test/support.py
+++ b/Lib/test/support.py
@@ -75,17 +75,32 @@
         yield
 
 
-def import_module(name, deprecated=False):
+def import_module(name, deprecated=False, *, optional=[], required_on=[]):
     """Import and return the module to be tested, raising SkipTest if
     it is not available.
 
     If deprecated is True, any module or package deprecation messages
-    will be suppressed."""
+    will be suppressed.
+
+    If sys.platform or os.name is listed in required_on then the ImportError
+    is propagated instead of SkipTest. The opposite is true for 'optional'.
+    Use of 'optional' is always preferred as it is better to have to actively
+    list a platform a test is expected to be skipped on, i.e., whitelist vs.
+    blacklist.
+
+    """
     with _ignore_deprecated_imports(deprecated):
         try:
             return importlib.import_module(name)
-        except ImportError as msg:
-            raise unittest.SkipTest(str(msg))
+        except ImportError as import_exc:
+            msg = '{0!r} not available'.format(name)
+            if required_on:
+                if sys.platform in required_on or os.name in required_on:
+                    raise
+            elif optional:
+                if sys.platform not in optional and os.name not in optional:
+                    raise
+            raise unittest.SkipTest(msg) from import_exc
 
 
 def _save_and_remove_module(name, orig_modules):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_crypt.py b/Lib/test/test_crypt.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_crypt.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_crypt.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 from test import support
 import unittest
 
-crypt = support.import_module('crypt')
+crypt = support.import_module('crypt', optional=['win32'])
 
 class CryptTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_ctypes.py b/Lib/test/test_ctypes.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_ctypes.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_ctypes.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from test.support import run_unittest, import_module
 
 # Skip tests if _ctypes module was not built.
-import_module('_ctypes')
+import_module('_ctypes', optional=['openbsd3', 'netbsd3'])
 
 import ctypes.test
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_fcntl.py b/Lib/test/test_fcntl.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_fcntl.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_fcntl.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 from test.support import verbose, TESTFN, unlink, run_unittest, import_module
 
 # Skip test if no fnctl module.
-fcntl = import_module('fcntl')
+fcntl = import_module('fcntl', optional=['win32'])
 
 
 # TODO - Write tests for flock() and lockf().
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_grp.py b/Lib/test/test_grp.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_grp.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_grp.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 import unittest
 from test import support
 
-grp = support.import_module('grp')
+grp = support.import_module('grp', optional=['win32'])
+
 
 class GroupDatabaseTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_nis.py b/Lib/test/test_nis.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_nis.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_nis.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 
 # Skip test if nis module does not exist.
-nis = support.import_module('nis')
+nis = support.import_module('nis', optional=['win32'])
 
 
 class NisTests(unittest.TestCase):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pipes.py b/Lib/test/test_pipes.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_pipes.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pipes.py
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
-import pipes
 import os
 import string
 import unittest
-from test.support import TESTFN, run_unittest, unlink, reap_children
+from test.support import (TESTFN, run_unittest, unlink, reap_children,
+                            import_module)
 
-if os.name != 'posix':
-    raise unittest.SkipTest('pipes module only works on posix')
+pipes = import_module('pipes', required_on=['posix'])
 
 TESTFN2 = TESTFN + "2"
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_posix.py b/Lib/test/test_posix.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_posix.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_posix.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 from test import support
 
 # Skip these tests if there is no posix module.
-posix = support.import_module('posix')
+posix = support.import_module('posix', required_on=['posix'])
 
 import errno
 import sys
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pty.py b/Lib/test/test_pty.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_pty.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pty.py
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@
 #Skip these tests if either fcntl or termios is not available
 fcntl = import_module('fcntl')
 import_module('termios')
+pty = import_module('pty',
+            optional=['win32', 'os2emx', 'freebsd4', 'freebsd5', 'freebsd6',
+                        'freebsd7', 'freebsd8'])
 
 import errno
 import pty
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pwd.py b/Lib/test/test_pwd.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_pwd.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pwd.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import unittest
 from test import support
 
-pwd = support.import_module('pwd')
+pwd = support.import_module('pwd', optional=['win32'])
 
 class PwdTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_resource.py b/Lib/test/test_resource.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_resource.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_resource.py
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 from test import support
 import time
 
-resource = support.import_module('resource')
+resource = support.import_module('resource', optional=['win32'])
+
 
 # This test is checking a few specific problem spots with the resource module.
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_sqlite.py b/Lib/test/test_sqlite.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_sqlite.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_sqlite.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import test.support
 
 # Skip test if _sqlite3 module not installed
-test.support.import_module('_sqlite3')
+test.support.import_module('_sqlite3', required_on=['win32'])
 
 import sqlite3
 from sqlite3.test import (dbapi, types, userfunctions,
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_support.py b/Lib/test/test_support.py
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Lib/test/test_support.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+from test import support
+import os
+import sys
+import unittest
+
+
+class import_module_Tests(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    nonexistent_name = "asdfasdfasdflaksdfasdfasdlfjasdflkjas;lfjsadklf"
+
+    def test_skipping(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(unittest.SkipTest):
+            support.import_module(self.nonexistent_name)
+
+    def test_requiring_on(self):
+        # sys.platform and os.name are both supported.
+        for require in (sys.platform, os.name):
+            with self.assertRaises(ImportError):
+                support.import_module(self.nonexistent_name,
+                                        required_on=[require])
+        with self.assertRaises(unittest.SkipTest):
+            support.import_module(self.nonexistent_name,
+                                    required_on=['no real platform'])
+
+    def test_optional(self):
+        for optional in (sys.platform, os.name):
+            with self.assertRaises(unittest.SkipTest):
+                support.import_module(self.nonexistent_name,
+                                        optional=[optional])
+        with self.assertRaises(ImportError):
+            support.import_module(self.nonexistent_name,
+                                    optional=['no real platform'])
+
+
+def test_main():
+    support.run_unittest(
+            import_module_Tests
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    test_main()
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_syslog.py b/Lib/test/test_syslog.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_syslog.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_syslog.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 
 from test import support
-syslog = support.import_module("syslog") #skip if not supported
+syslog = support.import_module("syslog", optional=['win32'])
+
 import unittest
 
 # XXX(nnorwitz): This test sucks.  I don't know of a platform independent way
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_winreg.py b/Lib/test/test_winreg.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_winreg.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_winreg.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 from platform import machine
 
 # Do this first so test will be skipped if module doesn't exist
-support.import_module('winreg')
+support.import_module('winreg', required_on=['win32'])
 # Now import everything
 from winreg import *
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_winsound.py b/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_winsound.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import os
 import subprocess
 
-winsound = support.import_module('winsound')
+winsound = support.import_module('winsound', required_on=['win32'])
 ctypes = support.import_module('ctypes')
 import winreg