diff --git a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/bbtests.py b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/bbtests.py
index b42bbb651d..d91c8ea82b 100644
--- a/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/bbtests.py
+++ b/meta/lib/oeqa/selftest/cases/bbtests.py
@@ -188,6 +188,10 @@ SSTATE_DIR = \"${TOPDIR}/download-selftest\"
         self.assertTrue(find, "No version returned for searched recipe. bitbake output: %s" % result.output)
 
     def test_prefile(self):
+        # Test when the prefile does not exist
+        result = runCmd('bitbake -r conf/prefile.conf', ignore_status=True)
+        self.assertEqual(1, result.status, "bitbake didn't error and should have when a specified prefile didn't exist: %s" % result.output)
+        # Test when the prefile exists
         preconf = os.path.join(self.builddir, 'conf/prefile.conf')
         self.track_for_cleanup(preconf)
         ftools.write_file(preconf ,"TEST_PREFILE=\"prefile\"")
@@ -198,6 +202,10 @@ SSTATE_DIR = \"${TOPDIR}/download-selftest\"
         self.assertIn('localconf', result.output)
 
     def test_postfile(self):
+        # Test when the postfile does not exist
+        result = runCmd('bitbake -R conf/postfile.conf', ignore_status=True)
+        self.assertEqual(1, result.status, "bitbake didn't error and should have when a specified postfile didn't exist: %s" % result.output)
+        # Test when the postfile exists
         postconf = os.path.join(self.builddir, 'conf/postfile.conf')
         self.track_for_cleanup(postconf)
         ftools.write_file(postconf , "TEST_POSTFILE=\"postfile\"")