diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/ExponentialDistributionTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/ExponentialDistributionTest.java
index e5671e22a..d7ae22051 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/ExponentialDistributionTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/ExponentialDistributionTest.java
@@ -116,7 +116,8 @@ public class ExponentialDistributionTest extends ContinuousDistributionAbstractT
 
     public void testPreconditions() {
         try {
-            ExponentialDistribution distribution = new ExponentialDistributionImpl(0);
+            new ExponentialDistributionImpl(0);
+            fail("Should have generated NotStrictlyPositiveException");
         } catch (NotStrictlyPositiveException e) {
             // Expected.
         }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/NormalDistributionTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/NormalDistributionTest.java
index b717c851a..e9ffe5c1e 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/NormalDistributionTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/commons/math/distribution/NormalDistributionTest.java
@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@ public class NormalDistributionTest extends ContinuousDistributionAbstractTest
 
     public void testPreconditions() {
         try {
-            NormalDistribution distribution = new NormalDistributionImpl(1, 0);
+            new NormalDistributionImpl(1, 0);
+            fail("Should have generated NotStrictlyPositiveException");
         } catch (NotStrictlyPositiveException e) {
             // Expected.
         }