diff --git a/Lib/test/support.py b/Lib/test/support.py
index 27efd37..142a87e 100644
--- a/Lib/test/support.py
+++ b/Lib/test/support.py
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
     "run_unittest", "run_doctest", "threading_setup", "threading_cleanup",
     "reap_children", "cpython_only", "check_impl_detail", "get_attribute",
     "swap_item", "swap_attr", "requires_IEEE_754",
-    "TestHandler", "Matcher"]
+    "TestHandler", "Matcher", "can_symlink", "skip_unless_symlink"]
 
 
 class Error(Exception):
@@ -1412,3 +1412,23 @@
         else:
             result = dv.find(v) >= 0
         return result
+
+
+_can_symlink = None
+def can_symlink():
+    global _can_symlink
+    if _can_symlink is not None:
+        return _can_symlink
+    try:
+        os.symlink(TESTFN, TESTFN + "can_symlink")
+        can = True
+    except OSError:
+        can = False
+    _can_symlink = can
+    return can
+
+def skip_unless_symlink(test):
+    """Skip decorator for tests that require functional symlink"""
+    ok = can_symlink()
+    msg = "Requires functional symlink implementation"
+    return test if ok else unittest.skip(msg)(test)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_glob.py b/Lib/test/test_glob.py
index f1e1c03..1560a6b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_glob.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_glob.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import unittest
-from test.support import run_unittest, TESTFN
+from test.support import run_unittest, TESTFN, skip_unless_symlink, can_symlink
 import glob
 import os
 import shutil
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
         self.mktemp('ZZZ')
         self.mktemp('a', 'bcd', 'EF')
         self.mktemp('a', 'bcd', 'efg', 'ha')
-        if hasattr(os, "symlink"):
+        if can_symlink():
             os.symlink(self.norm('broken'), self.norm('sym1'))
             os.symlink(self.norm('broken'), self.norm('sym2'))
 
@@ -98,8 +98,7 @@
         # either of these results are reasonable
         self.assertIn(res[0], [self.tempdir, self.tempdir + os.sep])
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @skip_unless_symlink
     def test_glob_broken_symlinks(self):
         eq = self.assertSequencesEqual_noorder
         eq(self.glob('sym*'), [self.norm('sym1'), self.norm('sym2')])
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_httpservers.py b/Lib/test/test_httpservers.py
index 19d3d17..e42038a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_httpservers.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_httpservers.py
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@
 
         # The shebang line should be pure ASCII: use symlink if possible.
         # See issue #7668.
-        if hasattr(os, "symlink"):
+        if support.can_symlink():
             self.pythonexe = os.path.join(self.parent_dir, 'python')
             os.symlink(sys.executable, self.pythonexe)
         else:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_os.py b/Lib/test/test_os.py
index 9cfd7b8..497d809 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_os.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_os.py
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@
             f = open(path, "w")
             f.write("I'm " + path + " and proud of it.  Blame test_os.\n")
             f.close()
-        if hasattr(os, "symlink"):
+        if support.can_symlink():
             os.symlink(os.path.abspath(t2_path), link_path)
             sub2_tree = (sub2_path, ["link"], ["tmp3"])
         else:
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@
         self.assertEqual(all[flipped + 1], (sub1_path, ["SUB11"], ["tmp2"]))
         self.assertEqual(all[2 - 2 * flipped], sub2_tree)
 
-        if hasattr(os, "symlink"):
+        if support.can_symlink():
             # Walk, following symlinks.
             for root, dirs, files in os.walk(walk_path, followlinks=True):
                 if root == link_path:
@@ -1149,7 +1149,7 @@
 
 
 @unittest.skipUnless(sys.platform == "win32", "Win32 specific tests")
-@unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"), "Requires symlink implementation")
+@support.skip_unless_symlink
 class Win32SymlinkTests(unittest.TestCase):
     filelink = 'filelinktest'
     filelink_target = os.path.abspath(__file__)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_platform.py b/Lib/test/test_platform.py
index 7264c57..7dd7eef 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_platform.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_platform.py
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@
     def test_architecture(self):
         res = platform.architecture()
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_architecture_via_symlink(self): # issue3762
         # On Windows, the EXE needs to know where pythonXY.dll is at so we have
         # to add the directory to the path.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_posixpath.py b/Lib/test/test_posixpath.py
index 4042595..f045b0b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_posixpath.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_posixpath.py
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@
             f.write(b"foo")
             f.close()
             self.assertIs(posixpath.islink(support.TESTFN + "1"), False)
-            if hasattr(os, "symlink"):
+            if support.can_symlink():
                 os.symlink(support.TESTFN + "1", support.TESTFN + "2")
                 self.assertIs(posixpath.islink(support.TESTFN + "2"), True)
                 os.remove(support.TESTFN + "1")
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_shutil.py b/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
index d9e9678..30d9e07 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_shutil.py
@@ -291,8 +291,7 @@
         finally:
             shutil.rmtree(TESTFN, ignore_errors=True)
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_dont_copy_file_onto_symlink_to_itself(self):
         # bug 851123.
         os.mkdir(TESTFN)
@@ -312,8 +311,7 @@
         finally:
             shutil.rmtree(TESTFN, ignore_errors=True)
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_rmtree_on_symlink(self):
         # bug 1669.
         os.mkdir(TESTFN)
@@ -338,8 +336,7 @@
             finally:
                 os.remove(TESTFN)
 
-        @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                             "Missing symlink implementation")
+        @support.skip_unless_symlink
         def test_copytree_named_pipe(self):
             os.mkdir(TESTFN)
             try:
@@ -375,8 +372,7 @@
         shutil.copytree(src_dir, dst_dir, copy_function=_copy)
         self.assertEqual(len(copied), 2)
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_copytree_dangling_symlinks(self):
 
         # a dangling symlink raises an error at the end
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_sysconfig.py b/Lib/test/test_sysconfig.py
index d532ddf..193b5f0 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_sysconfig.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_sysconfig.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 from copy import copy, deepcopy
 
 from test.support import (run_unittest, TESTFN, unlink, get_attribute,
-                          captured_stdout)
+                          captured_stdout, skip_unless_symlink)
 
 import sysconfig
 from sysconfig import (get_paths, get_platform, get_config_vars,
@@ -245,8 +245,7 @@
                   'posix_home', 'posix_prefix', 'posix_user')
         self.assertEqual(get_scheme_names(), wanted)
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @skip_unless_symlink
     def test_symlink(self):
         # On Windows, the EXE needs to know where pythonXY.dll is at so we have
         # to add the directory to the path.
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_tarfile.py b/Lib/test/test_tarfile.py
index 9d84464..ff02c69 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_tarfile.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_tarfile.py
@@ -322,8 +322,7 @@
 
     @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "link"),
                          "Missing hardlink implementation")
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_extract_hardlink(self):
         # Test hardlink extraction (e.g. bug #857297).
         tar = tarfile.open(tarname, errorlevel=1, encoding="iso8859-1")
@@ -841,8 +840,7 @@
                 os.remove(target)
                 os.remove(link)
 
-    @unittest.skipUnless(hasattr(os, "symlink"),
-                         "Missing symlink implementation")
+    @support.skip_unless_symlink
     def test_symlink_size(self):
         path = os.path.join(TEMPDIR, "symlink")
         os.symlink("link_target", path)