diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-at-max.js b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-at-max.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..6678e5355224b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-at-max.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+// v8 fails silently if string length > v8::String::kMaxLength
+// v8::String::kMaxLength defined in v8.h
+const kStringMaxLength = process.binding('buffer').kStringMaxLength;
+
+try {
+  new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 3);
+} catch(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.message, 'Invalid array buffer length');
+  console.log(
+      '1..0 # Skipped: intensive toString tests due to memory confinements');
+  return;
+}
+
+const buf = new Buffer(kStringMaxLength);
+
+const maxString = buf.toString('binary');
+assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-1.js b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-1.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..8e2a5bf01f2596
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-1.js
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+// v8 fails silently if string length > v8::String::kMaxLength
+// v8::String::kMaxLength defined in v8.h
+const kStringMaxLength = process.binding('buffer').kStringMaxLength;
+
+try {
+  new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 3);
+} catch(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.message, 'Invalid array buffer length');
+  console.log(
+      '1..0 # Skipped: intensive toString tests due to memory confinements');
+  return;
+}
+
+const buf1 = new Buffer(kStringMaxLength + 1);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString();
+}, /toString failed|Invalid array buffer length/);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString('ascii');
+}, /toString failed/);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString('utf8');
+}, /toString failed/);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString('binary');
+}, /toString failed/);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString('base64');
+}, /toString failed/);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf1.toString('hex');
+}, /toString failed/);
+
+var maxString = buf1.toString('binary', 1);
+assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
+maxString = undefined;
+
+maxString = buf1.toString('binary', 0, kStringMaxLength);
+assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
+// Free the memory early instead of at the end of the next assignment
+maxString = undefined;
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-2.js b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-2.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..879e4ae91dfb60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max-by-2.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+// v8 fails silently if string length > v8::String::kMaxLength
+// v8::String::kMaxLength defined in v8.h
+const kStringMaxLength = process.binding('buffer').kStringMaxLength;
+
+try {
+  new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 3);
+} catch(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.message, 'Invalid array buffer length');
+  console.log(
+      '1..0 # Skipped: intensive toString tests due to memory confinements');
+  return;
+}
+
+const buf2 = new Buffer(kStringMaxLength + 2);
+
+const maxString = buf2.toString('utf16le');
+assert.equal(maxString.length, (kStringMaxLength + 2) / 2);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max.js b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..0a6f585b66f3ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external-exceed-max.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+'use strict';
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+// v8 fails silently if string length > v8::String::kMaxLength
+// v8::String::kMaxLength defined in v8.h
+const kStringMaxLength = process.binding('buffer').kStringMaxLength;
+
+try {
+  new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 3);
+} catch(e) {
+  assert.equal(e.message, 'Invalid array buffer length');
+  console.log(
+      '1..0 # Skipped: intensive toString tests due to memory confinements');
+  return;
+}
+
+const buf0 = new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 2 + 2);
+
+assert.throws(function() {
+  buf0.toString('utf16le');
+}, /toString failed/);
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external.js b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external.js
index ddbbcd599fa4da..ba3f0c5d1d9ade 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-stringbytes-external.js
@@ -107,72 +107,3 @@ var PRE_3OF4_APEX = Math.ceil((EXTERN_APEX / 4) * 3) - RADIOS;
   assert.equal(a, b);
   assert.equal(b, c);
 })();
-
-// v8 fails silently if string length > v8::String::kMaxLength
-(function() {
-  // v8::String::kMaxLength defined in v8.h
-  const kStringMaxLength = process.binding('buffer').kStringMaxLength;
-
-  try {
-    new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 3);
-  } catch(e) {
-    assert.equal(e.message, 'Invalid array buffer length');
-    console.log(
-        '1..0 # Skipped: intensive toString tests due to memory confinements');
-    return;
-  }
-
-  const buf0 = new Buffer(kStringMaxLength * 2 + 2);
-  const buf1 = buf0.slice(0, kStringMaxLength + 1);
-  const buf2 = buf0.slice(0, kStringMaxLength);
-  const buf3 = buf0.slice(0, kStringMaxLength + 2);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString();
-  }, /toString failed|Invalid array buffer length/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString('ascii');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString('utf8');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf0.toString('utf16le');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString('binary');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString('base64');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  assert.throws(function() {
-    buf1.toString('hex');
-  }, /toString failed/);
-
-  var maxString = buf2.toString();
-  assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
-  // Free the memory early instead of at the end of the next assignment
-  maxString = undefined;
-
-  maxString = buf2.toString('binary');
-  assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
-  maxString = undefined;
-
-  maxString = buf1.toString('binary', 1);
-  assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
-  maxString = undefined;
-
-  maxString = buf1.toString('binary', 0, kStringMaxLength);
-  assert.equal(maxString.length, kStringMaxLength);
-  maxString = undefined;
-
-  maxString = buf3.toString('utf16le');
-  assert.equal(maxString.length, (kStringMaxLength + 2) / 2);
-  maxString = undefined;
-})();