diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2fb6ebaa..61e91899 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@
     "nyc": "15.1.0",
     "pbkdf2-password": "1.2.1",
     "resolve-path": "1.4.0",
-    "should": "13.2.3",
     "supertest": "6.2.2",
     "vhost": "~3.0.2"
   },
diff --git a/test/Route.js b/test/Route.js
index 005b4634..8e7ddbdb 100644
--- a/test/Route.js
+++ b/test/Route.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict'
 
 var after = require('after');
-var should = require('should');
+var assert = require('assert')
 var express = require('../')
   , Route = express.Route
   , methods = require('methods')
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        should(req.called).be.ok()
+        assert.ok(req.called)
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
       var route = new Route('/foo');
       var cb = after(methods.length, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        count.should.equal(methods.length);
+        assert.strictEqual(count, methods.length)
         done();
       });
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        req.count.should.equal(2);
+        assert.strictEqual(req.count, 2)
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        should(req.called).be.ok()
+        assert.ok(req.called)
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        should(req.called).be.true()
+        assert.ok(req.called)
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        req.order.should.equal('abc');
+        assert.strictEqual(req.order, 'abc')
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -156,9 +156,9 @@ describe('Route', function(){
       });
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
-        should(err).be.ok()
-        should(err.message).equal('foobar');
-        req.order.should.equal('a');
+        assert.ok(err)
+        assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'foobar')
+        assert.strictEqual(req.order, 'a')
         done();
       });
     })
@@ -182,9 +182,9 @@ describe('Route', function(){
       });
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
-        should(err).be.ok()
-        should(err.message).equal('foobar');
-        req.order.should.equal('a');
+        assert.ok(err)
+        assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'foobar')
+        assert.strictEqual(req.order, 'a')
         done();
       });
     });
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function (err) {
         if (err) return done(err);
-        should(req.message).equal('oops');
+        assert.strictEqual(req.message, 'oops')
         done();
       });
     });
@@ -222,8 +222,8 @@ describe('Route', function(){
       });
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, function(err){
-        should(err).be.ok()
-        err.message.should.equal('boom!');
+        assert.ok(err)
+        assert.strictEqual(err.message, 'boom!')
         done();
       });
     });
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ describe('Route', function(){
 
       route.all(function(err, req, res, next){
         // this should not execute
-        true.should.be.false()
+        throw new Error('should not be called')
       });
 
       route.dispatch(req, {}, done);
diff --git a/test/exports.js b/test/exports.js
index 98d79365..5ab0f885 100644
--- a/test/exports.js
+++ b/test/exports.js
@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@
 var assert = require('assert')
 var express = require('../');
 var request = require('supertest');
-var should = require('should');
 
 describe('exports', function(){
   it('should expose Router', function(){
-    express.Router.should.be.a.Function()
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.Router, 'function')
   })
 
   it('should expose json middleware', function () {
@@ -36,20 +35,23 @@ describe('exports', function(){
   })
 
   it('should expose the application prototype', function(){
-    express.application.set.should.be.a.Function()
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.application, 'object')
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.application.set, 'function')
   })
 
   it('should expose the request prototype', function(){
-    express.request.accepts.should.be.a.Function()
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.request, 'object')
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.request.accepts, 'function')
   })
 
   it('should expose the response prototype', function(){
-    express.response.send.should.be.a.Function()
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.response, 'object')
+    assert.strictEqual(typeof express.response.send, 'function')
   })
 
   it('should permit modifying the .application prototype', function(){
     express.application.foo = function(){ return 'bar'; };
-    express().foo().should.equal('bar');
+    assert.strictEqual(express().foo(), 'bar')
   })
 
   it('should permit modifying the .request prototype', function(done){
@@ -79,10 +81,7 @@ describe('exports', function(){
   })
 
   it('should throw on old middlewares', function(){
-    var error;
-    try { express.bodyParser; } catch (e) { error = e; }
-    should(error).have.property('message');
-    error.message.should.containEql('middleware');
-    error.message.should.containEql('bodyParser');
+    assert.throws(function () { express.bodyParser() }, /Error:.*middleware.*bodyParser/)
+    assert.throws(function () { express.limit() }, /Error:.*middleware.*limit/)
   })
 })
diff --git a/test/mocha.opts b/test/mocha.opts
deleted file mode 100644
index 1e065ec5..00000000
--- a/test/mocha.opts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
---require should
---slow 20
diff --git a/test/res.sendFile.js b/test/res.sendFile.js
index c7fc93a7..c676fc41 100644
--- a/test/res.sendFile.js
+++ b/test/res.sendFile.js
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ var express = require('../')
   , assert = require('assert');
 var onFinished = require('on-finished');
 var path = require('path');
-var should = require('should');
 var fixtures = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures');
 var utils = require('./support/utils');
 
@@ -359,15 +358,13 @@ describe('res', function(){
 
       app.use(function (req, res) {
         res.sendFile(path.resolve(fixtures, 'does-not-exist'), function (err) {
-          should(err).be.ok()
-          err.status.should.equal(404);
-          res.send('got it');
+          res.send(err ? 'got ' + err.status + ' error' : 'no error')
         });
       });
 
       request(app)
-      .get('/')
-      .expect(200, 'got it', done);
+        .get('/')
+        .expect(200, 'got 404 error', done)
     })
   })
 
@@ -539,7 +536,7 @@ describe('res', function(){
       app.use(function(req, res){
         res.sendfile('test/fixtures/user.html', function(err){
           assert(!res.headersSent);
-          req.socket.listeners('error').should.have.length(1); // node's original handler
+          assert.strictEqual(req.socket.listeners('error').length, 1) // node's original handler
           done();
         });
 
@@ -783,12 +780,12 @@ describe('res', function(){
         });
 
         request(app)
-        .get('/')
-        .end(function(err, res){
-          res.statusCode.should.equal(404);
-          calls.should.equal(1);
-          done();
-        });
+          .get('/')
+          .expect(404, function (err) {
+            if (err) return done(err)
+            assert.strictEqual(calls, 1)
+            done()
+          })
       })
 
       describe('with non-GET', function(){
diff --git a/test/utils.js b/test/utils.js
index f0cb3c37..9a38ede6 100644
--- a/test/utils.js
+++ b/test/utils.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 var assert = require('assert');
 var Buffer = require('safe-buffer').Buffer
-var should = require('should')
 var utils = require('../lib/utils');
 
 describe('utils.etag(body, encoding)', function(){
@@ -91,7 +90,14 @@ describe('utils.isAbsolute()', function(){
 describe('utils.flatten(arr)', function(){
   it('should flatten an array', function(){
     var arr = ['one', ['two', ['three', 'four'], 'five']];
-    should(utils.flatten(arr))
-      .eql(['one', 'two', 'three', 'four', 'five'])
+    var flat = utils.flatten(arr)
+
+    assert.strictEqual(flat.length, 5)
+    assert.strictEqual(flat[0], 'one')
+    assert.strictEqual(flat[1], 'two')
+    assert.strictEqual(flat[2], 'three')
+    assert.strictEqual(flat[3], 'four')
+    assert.strictEqual(flat[4], 'five')
+    assert.ok(flat.every(function (v) { return typeof v === 'string' }))
   })
 })