diff --git a/dlls/msxml3/tests/httpreq.c b/dlls/msxml3/tests/httpreq.c
index f228b419ae4..b50b153d146 100644
--- a/dlls/msxml3/tests/httpreq.c
+++ b/dlls/msxml3/tests/httpreq.c
@@ -43,9 +43,10 @@
 #define EXPECT_REF(node,ref) _expect_ref((IUnknown*)node, ref, __LINE__)
 static void _expect_ref(IUnknown* obj, ULONG ref, int line)
 {
-    ULONG rc = IUnknown_AddRef(obj);
-    IUnknown_Release(obj);
-    ok_(__FILE__,line)(rc-1 == ref, "expected refcount %d, got %d\n", ref, rc-1);
+    ULONG rc;
+    IUnknown_AddRef(obj);
+    rc = IUnknown_Release(obj);
+    ok_(__FILE__, line)(rc == ref, "expected refcount %d, got %d\n", ref, rc);
 }
 
 DEFINE_GUID(SID_SContainerDispatch, 0xb722be00, 0x4e68, 0x101b, 0xa2, 0xbc, 0x00, 0xaa, 0x00, 0x40, 0x47, 0x70);
diff --git a/dlls/msxml3/tests/saxreader.c b/dlls/msxml3/tests/saxreader.c
index a2dc3fb0f7a..5fc62b75540 100644
--- a/dlls/msxml3/tests/saxreader.c
+++ b/dlls/msxml3/tests/saxreader.c
@@ -43,9 +43,10 @@ static const WCHAR emptyW[] = {0};
 #define EXPECT_REF(obj,ref) _expect_ref((IUnknown*)obj, ref, __LINE__)
 static void _expect_ref(IUnknown* obj, ULONG ref, int line)
 {
-    ULONG rc = IUnknown_AddRef(obj);
-    IUnknown_Release(obj);
-    ok_(__FILE__,line)(rc-1 == ref, "expected refcount %d, got %d\n", ref, rc-1);
+    ULONG rc;
+    IUnknown_AddRef(obj);
+    rc = IUnknown_Release(obj);
+    ok_(__FILE__, line)(rc == ref, "expected refcount %d, got %d\n", ref, rc);
 }
 
 static LONG get_refcount(void *iface)