diff --git a/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala b/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
index abda4aa191a9..ef2eacf42225 100644
--- a/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/scala/quoted/runtime/impl/QuotesImpl.scala
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ class QuotesImpl private (using val ctx: Context) extends Quotes, QuoteUnpickler
 
     object DefDef extends DefDefModule:
       def apply(symbol: Symbol, rhsFn: List[List[Tree]] => Option[Term]): DefDef =
-        xCheckMacroAssert(symbol.isTerm, s"expected a term symbol but received $symbol")
+        xCheckMacroAssert(symbol.isTerm, s"expected a term symbol, but received $symbol")
         xCheckMacroAssert(symbol.flags.is(Flags.Method), "expected a symbol with `Method` flag set")
         withDefaultPos(tpd.DefDef(symbol.asTerm, prefss =>
           xCheckedMacroOwners(xCheckMacroValidExpr(rhsFn(prefss)), symbol).getOrElse(tpd.EmptyTree)
@@ -472,7 +472,7 @@ class QuotesImpl private (using val ctx: Context) extends Quotes, QuoteUnpickler
       def term(tp: TermRef): Ref =
         withDefaultPos(tpd.ref(tp).asInstanceOf[tpd.RefTree])
       def apply(sym: Symbol): Ref =
-        assert(sym.isTerm, s"expected a term symbol but received $sym")
+        assert(sym.isTerm, s"expected a term symbol, but received $sym")
         val refTree = tpd.ref(sym) match
           case t @ tpd.This(ident) => // not a RefTree, so we need to work around this - issue #19732
             // ident in `This` can be a TypeIdent of sym, so we manually prepare the ref here,
@@ -1128,7 +1128,7 @@ class QuotesImpl private (using val ctx: Context) extends Quotes, QuoteUnpickler
       def of[T <: AnyKind](using tp: scala.quoted.Type[T]): TypeTree =
         tp.asInstanceOf[TypeImpl].typeTree
       def ref(sym: Symbol): TypeTree =
-        assert(sym.isType, "Expected a type symbol, but got " + sym)
+        assert(sym.isType, s"Expected a type symbol, but got $sym")
         tpd.ref(sym)
     end TypeTree
 
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946.check b/tests/neg/i20946.check
deleted file mode 100644
index acce8bf4852d..000000000000
--- a/tests/neg/i20946.check
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-
--- Error: tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala:5:29 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-5 |  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
-  |  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-  |  Exception occurred while executing macro expansion.
-  |  java.lang.AssertionError: assertion failed: expected a term symbol but received class Int
-  |  	at scala.runtime.Scala3RunTime$.assertFailed(Scala3RunTime.scala:8)
-  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$Ref$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:475)
-  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$Ref$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:474)
-  |  	at Macro_1$package$.macroWithAssertFailingImpl(Macro_1.scala:6)
-  |
-  |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  |Inline stack trace
-  |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-  |This location contains code that was inlined from Test_2.scala:1
-1 |inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
-  |                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala b/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala
index 0f2bb8416a0c..f598f5d278ce 100644
--- a/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946/Macro_1.scala
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ import scala.quoted.*
 def macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T: Type](t: Expr[T])(using Quotes): Expr[Unit] = {
   import quotes.reflect.*
 
-  Ref(TypeRepr.of[T].typeSymbol)
+  try
+    Ref(TypeRepr.of[T].typeSymbol)
+  catch
+    case ex: Throwable =>
+      if ex.getMessage().contains("expected a term symbol, but received ") then
+        throw ex
 
   '{()}
 }
-
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala b/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala
index 79a02ff1a5db..80ae0a95fa4b 100644
--- a/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946/Test_2.scala
@@ -3,4 +3,3 @@ inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl
 @main
 def run =
   macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
-
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a.check b/tests/neg/i20946a.check
deleted file mode 100644
index f279a60a4798..000000000000
--- a/tests/neg/i20946a.check
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-
--- Error: tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala:5:29 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
-5 |  macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
-  |  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-  |  Exception occurred while executing macro expansion.
-  |  java.lang.AssertionError: assertion failed: Expected a type symbol, but got val <none>
-  |  	at scala.runtime.Scala3RunTime$.assertFailed(Scala3RunTime.scala:8)
-  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$TypeIdent$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:1165)
-  |  	at scala.quoted.runtime.impl.QuotesImpl$reflect$TypeIdent$.apply(QuotesImpl.scala:1164)
-  |  	at Macro_1$package$.macroWithAssertFailingImpl(Macro_1.scala:6)
-  |
-  |---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-  |Inline stack trace
-  |- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-  |This location contains code that was inlined from Test_2.scala:1
-1 |inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T]('t) }
-  |                                                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala b/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala
index c0e9e6eec116..b3603fe91b10 100644
--- a/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946a/Macro_1.scala
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ import scala.quoted.*
 def macroWithAssertFailingImpl[T: Type](t: Expr[T])(using Quotes): Expr[Unit] = {
   import quotes.reflect.*
 
-  TypeIdent(t.asTerm.symbol)
+  try
+    TypeIdent(t.asTerm.symbol)
+  catch
+    case ex: Throwable =>
+      if ex.getMessage().contains("Expected a type symbol, but got ") then
+        throw ex
 
   '{()}
 }
-
diff --git a/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala b/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala
index 79a02ff1a5db..80ae0a95fa4b 100644
--- a/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala
+++ b/tests/neg/i20946a/Test_2.scala
@@ -3,4 +3,3 @@ inline def macroWithAssertFailing[T](t: T): Unit = ${ macroWithAssertFailingImpl
 @main
 def run =
   macroWithAssertFailing[Int](123) // error
-