diff --git a/Lib/test/test_subprocess.py b/Lib/test/test_subprocess.py
index b68def50b39..ed1b213fad0 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_subprocess.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_subprocess.py
@@ -1520,14 +1520,17 @@ class POSIXProcessTestCase(BaseTestCase):
         except ImportError as err:
             self.skipTest(err)  # RLIMIT_NPROC is specific to Linux and BSD
         limits = getrlimit(RLIMIT_NPROC)
+        [_, hard] = limits
         try:
             setrlimit(RLIMIT_NPROC, limits)
+            setrlimit(RLIMIT_NPROC, (0, hard))
         except ValueError as err:
-            # Seems to happen on AMD64 Snow Leop and x86-64 Yosemite buildbots
-            print(f"Setting NPROC to {limits!r}: {err!r}, RLIM_INFINITY={RLIM_INFINITY!r}")
-            self.skipTest("Setting existing NPROC limit failed")
-        [_, hard] = limits
-        setrlimit(RLIMIT_NPROC, (0, hard))
+            # Seems to happen on various OS X buildbots
+            print(
+                f"Setting NPROC failed: {err!r}, limits={limits!r}, "
+                f"RLIM_INFINITY={RLIM_INFINITY!r}, "
+                f"getrlimit() -> {getrlimit(RLIMIT_NPROC)!r}")
+            self.skipTest("Setting NPROC limit failed")
         self.addCleanup(setrlimit, RLIMIT_NPROC, limits)
         # Forking should raise EAGAIN, translated to BlockingIOError
         with self.assertRaises(BlockingIOError):