diff --git a/tests/src/unit-alt-string.cpp b/tests/src/unit-alt-string.cpp
index 43e400702..98a13a13f 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-alt-string.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-alt-string.cpp
@@ -395,7 +395,9 @@ TEST_CASE("alternative string type")
 
         alt_json j;
         recovering_parser sax(j);
-        CHECK(!alt_json::sax_parse(R"([1., "a\qb", tru, {"k" 2}])", &sax));
+        // not inside CHECK(): MSVC reads the escape in a stringized raw string
+        const std::string input = R"([1., "a\qb", tru, {"k" 2}])";
+        CHECK(!alt_json::sax_parse(input, &sax));
         CHECK(sax.errors == 4);
         CHECK(j.dump() == R"([1,"aqb",null,{"k":2}])");
 
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-class_parser.cpp b/tests/src/unit-class_parser.cpp
index 16840d93d..d9e3886de 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-class_parser.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-class_parser.cpp
@@ -3268,7 +3268,7 @@ TEST_CASE("parser error recovery (#3989)")
         const auto in_string = parse_recovering(std::string("[\"a\0b\"]", 7));
         CHECK(in_string.balanced);
 #ifdef JSON_TEST_STRICT_NUL_HANDLING_ENABLED
-        CHECK(in_string.value == json::parse(R"(["a\u0000b"])"));
+        CHECK(in_string.value == json::array({std::string("a\0b", 3)}));
 #else
         CHECK(in_string.value == json::parse(R"(["a"])"));
 #endif