diff --git a/test/units/module_utils/basic/test__symbolic_mode_to_octal.py b/test/units/module_utils/basic/test__symbolic_mode_to_octal.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b83169e8530
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/units/module_utils/basic/test__symbolic_mode_to_octal.py
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+# Copyright:
+#   (c) 2012-2014, Michael DeHaan <michael.dehaan@gmail.com>
+#   (c) 2016-2017 Ansible Project
+# License: GNU General Public License v3.0+ (see COPYING or https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt)
+
+# Make coding more python3-ish
+from __future__ import (absolute_import, division)
+__metaclass__ = type
+
+import pytest
+
+from ansible.compat.tests import unittest
+from ansible.compat.tests.mock import MagicMock
+
+from ansible.module_utils.basic import AnsibleModule
+
+
+#
+# Info helpful for making new test cases:
+#
+# base_mode = {'dir no perms': 0o040000,
+# 'file no perms': 0o100000,
+# 'dir all perms': 0o400000 | 0o777,
+# 'file all perms': 0o100000, | 0o777}
+#
+# perm_bits = {'x': 0b001,
+# 'w': 0b010,
+# 'r': 0b100}
+#
+# role_shift = {'u': 6,
+# 'g': 3,
+# 'o': 0}
+
+DATA = (  # Going from no permissions to setting all for user, group, and/or other
+    (0o040000, u'a+rwx', 0o0777),
+    (0o040000, u'u+rwx,g+rwx,o+rwx', 0o0777),
+    (0o040000, u'o+rwx', 0o0007),
+    (0o040000, u'g+rwx', 0o0070),
+    (0o040000, u'u+rwx', 0o0700),
+
+    # Going from all permissions to none for user, group, and/or other
+    (0o040777, u'a-rwx', 0o0000),
+    (0o040777, u'u-rwx,g-rwx,o-rwx', 0o0000),
+    (0o040777, u'o-rwx', 0o0770),
+    (0o040777, u'g-rwx', 0o0707),
+    (0o040777, u'u-rwx', 0o0077),
+
+    # now using absolute assignment from None to a set of perms
+    (0o040000, u'a=rwx', 0o0777),
+    (0o040000, u'u=rwx,g=rwx,o=rwx', 0o0777),
+    (0o040000, u'o=rwx', 0o0007),
+    (0o040000, u'g=rwx', 0o0070),
+    (0o040000, u'u=rwx', 0o0700),
+
+    # X effect on files and dirs
+    (0o040000, u'a+X', 0o0111),
+    (0o100000, u'a+X', 0),
+    (0o040000, u'a=X', 0o0111),
+    (0o100000, u'a=X', 0),
+    (0o040777, u'a-X', 0o0666),
+    # Same as chmod but is it a bug?
+    # chmod a-X statfile <== removes execute from statfile
+    (0o100777, u'a-X', 0o0666),
+
+    # Multiple permissions
+    (0o040000, u'u=rw-x+X,g=r-x+X,o=r-x+X', 0o0755),
+    (0o100000, u'u=rw-x+X,g=r-x+X,o=r-x+X', 0o0644),
+)
+
+
+INVALID_DATA = (
+    (0o040000, u'a=foo', "bad symbolic permission for mode: a=foo"),
+    (0o040000, u'f=rwx', "bad symbolic permission for mode: f=rwx"),
+)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('stat_info, mode_string, expected', DATA)
+def test_good_symbolic_modes(stat_info, mode_string, expected):
+    mock_stat = MagicMock()
+    mock_stat.st_mode = stat_info
+    assert AnsibleModule._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, mode_string) == expected
+
+
+def test_umask_with_symbolic_modes(mocker):
+    mock_stat = MagicMock()
+    mock_stat.st_mode = 0o100000
+
+    mock_umask = mocker.patch('os.umask')
+    mock_umask.return_value = 0o7
+
+    assert AnsibleModule._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, '+rwx') == 0o770
+
+    mock_stat = MagicMock()
+    mock_stat.st_mode = 0o100777
+
+    assert AnsibleModule._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, '-rwx') == 0o007
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize('stat_info, mode_string, expected', INVALID_DATA)
+def test_invalid_symbolic_modes(stat_info, mode_string, expected):
+    mock_stat = MagicMock()
+    mock_stat.st_mode = stat_info
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc:
+        assert AnsibleModule._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, mode_string) == 'blah'
+    assert exc.match(expected)
diff --git a/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py b/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
index 08b437cc562..a4a88d9988d 100644
--- a/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
+++ b/test/units/module_utils/test_basic.py
@@ -994,43 +994,3 @@ class TestModuleUtilsBasic(ModuleTestCase):
         am.selinux_default_context.return_value = mock_context
         am.selinux_enabled.return_value = True
         am.atomic_move('/path/to/src', '/path/to/dest')
-
-    def test_module_utils_basic_ansible_module__symbolic_mode_to_octal(self):
-
-        from ansible.module_utils import basic
-        basic._ANSIBLE_ARGS = None
-
-        am = basic.AnsibleModule(
-            argument_spec=dict(),
-        )
-
-        mock_stat = MagicMock()
-
-        # FIXME: trying many more combinations here would be good
-        # directory, give full perms to all, then one group at a time
-        mock_stat.st_mode = 0o040000
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'a+rwx'), 0o0777)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u+rwx,g+rwx,o+rwx'), 0o0777)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'o+rwx'), 0o0007)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'g+rwx'), 0o0070)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u+rwx'), 0o0700)
-
-        # same as above, but in reverse so removing permissions
-        mock_stat.st_mode = 0o040777
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'a-rwx'), 0o0000)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u-rwx,g-rwx,o-rwx'), 0o0000)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'o-rwx'), 0o0770)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'g-rwx'), 0o0707)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u-rwx'), 0o0077)
-
-        # now using absolute assignment
-        mock_stat.st_mode = 0o040000
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'a=rwx'), 0o0777)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u=rwx,g=rwx,o=rwx'), 0o0777)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'o=rwx'), 0o0007)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'g=rwx'), 0o0070)
-        self.assertEqual(am._symbolic_mode_to_octal(mock_stat, 'u=rwx'), 0o0700)
-
-        # invalid modes
-        mock_stat.st_mode = 0o040000
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, am._symbolic_mode_to_octal, mock_stat, 'a=foo')