diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/.babelrc b/packages/babel-core/test/.babelrc
deleted file mode 100644
index 0967ef424b..0000000000
--- a/packages/babel-core/test/.babelrc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-{}
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/api.js b/packages/babel-core/test/api.js
index 85c8d9eeaa..eafbc6de72 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/test/api.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/api.js
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ describe("api", function () {
   });
 
   it("transformFile", function (done) {
-    babel.transformFile(__dirname + "/fixtures/api/file.js", {}, function (err, res) {
+    babel.transformFile(__dirname + "/fixtures/api/file.js", { babelrc: false }, function (err, res) {
       if (err) return done(err);
       assert.equal(res.code, "foo();");
       done();
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ describe("api", function () {
   });
 
   it("transformFileSync", function () {
-    assert.equal(babel.transformFileSync(__dirname + "/fixtures/api/file.js", {}).code, "foo();");
+    assert.equal(babel.transformFileSync(__dirname + "/fixtures/api/file.js", { babelrc: false }).code, "foo();");
   });
 
   it("options throw on falsy true", function () {
diff --git a/packages/babel-core/test/resolution.js b/packages/babel-core/test/resolution.js
index 6406d3bacb..da59ea5e51 100644
--- a/packages/babel-core/test/resolution.js
+++ b/packages/babel-core/test/resolution.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ describe("addon resolution", function () {
         process.chdir(paths.fixtures);
 
         const actual = babel.transform(fixtures.actual, {
+          babelrc: false,
           filename: paths.actual,
           plugins: ["addons/plugin"],
           presets: ["addons/preset"],
diff --git a/packages/babel-preset-es2015/test/.babelrc b/packages/babel-preset-es2015/test/.babelrc
deleted file mode 100644
index 0967ef424b..0000000000
--- a/packages/babel-preset-es2015/test/.babelrc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-{}
diff --git a/scripts/babel-register.js b/scripts/babel-register.js
index 8a06ab0f18..d70a3ff7ff 100644
--- a/scripts/babel-register.js
+++ b/scripts/babel-register.js
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 "use strict";
 
 const register = require("babel-register").default;
-const config = require("../.babelrc");
 
-register(Object.assign({}, config, {
+register({
   extensions: [".js"],
   // Only js files in the test folder but not in the subfolder fixtures.
   only: [/packages\/.+\/test\/(?!fixtures\/).+\.js$/],
   compact: true,
-}));
+});