diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
index 62cc7f534dc86b..a64128d6a3ab6b 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-execfile.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ const uv = process.binding('uv');
 const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
 
 const fixture = fixtures.path('exit.js');
+const execOpts = { encoding: 'utf8', shell: true };
 
 {
   execFile(
@@ -38,3 +39,10 @@ const fixture = fixtures.path('exit.js');
   child.kill();
   child.emit('close', code, null);
 }
+
+{
+  // Verify the shell option works properly
+  execFile(process.execPath, [fixture, 0], execOpts, common.mustCall((err) => {
+    assert.ifError(err);
+  }));
+}
diff --git a/test/sequential/test-child-process-execsync.js b/test/sequential/test-child-process-execsync.js
index 94810e890cd119..f0efff8deb2740 100644
--- a/test/sequential/test-child-process-execsync.js
+++ b/test/sequential/test-child-process-execsync.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ const TIMER = 200;
 const SLEEP = 2000;
 
 const start = Date.now();
+const execOpts = { encoding: 'utf8', shell: true };
 let err;
 let caught = false;
 
@@ -124,3 +125,8 @@ assert.strictEqual(ret, `${msg}\n`);
     return true;
   });
 }
+
+// Verify the shell option works properly
+assert.doesNotThrow(() => {
+  execFileSync(process.execPath, [], execOpts);
+});