diff --git a/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_auth_backends.py b/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_auth_backends.py
index 4ed7244057..6aed4577fb 100644
--- a/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_auth_backends.py
+++ b/django/contrib/auth/tests/test_auth_backends.py
@@ -48,16 +48,15 @@ class BaseModelBackendTest(object):
     def test_has_perm(self):
         user = self.UserModel._default_manager.get(pk=self.user.pk)
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test'), False)
+
         user.is_staff = True
         user.save()
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test'), False)
+
         user.is_superuser = True
         user.save()
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test'), True)
-        user.is_staff = False
-        user.is_superuser = False
-        user.save()
-        self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test'), False)
+
         user.is_staff = True
         user.is_superuser = True
         user.is_active = False
@@ -69,7 +68,6 @@ class BaseModelBackendTest(object):
         content_type = ContentType.objects.get_for_model(Group)
         perm = Permission.objects.create(name='test', content_type=content_type, codename='test')
         user.user_permissions.add(perm)
-        user.save()
 
         # reloading user to purge the _perm_cache
         user = self.UserModel._default_manager.get(pk=self.user.pk)
@@ -77,21 +75,20 @@ class BaseModelBackendTest(object):
         self.assertEqual(user.get_group_permissions(), set([]))
         self.assertEqual(user.has_module_perms('Group'), False)
         self.assertEqual(user.has_module_perms('auth'), True)
+
         perm = Permission.objects.create(name='test2', content_type=content_type, codename='test2')
         user.user_permissions.add(perm)
-        user.save()
         perm = Permission.objects.create(name='test3', content_type=content_type, codename='test3')
         user.user_permissions.add(perm)
-        user.save()
         user = self.UserModel._default_manager.get(pk=self.user.pk)
         self.assertEqual(user.get_all_permissions(), set(['auth.test2', 'auth.test', 'auth.test3']))
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('test'), False)
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test'), True)
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perms(['auth.test2', 'auth.test3']), True)
+
         perm = Permission.objects.create(name='test_group', content_type=content_type, codename='test_group')
         group = Group.objects.create(name='test_group')
         group.permissions.add(perm)
-        group.save()
         user.groups.add(group)
         user = self.UserModel._default_manager.get(pk=self.user.pk)
         exp = set(['auth.test2', 'auth.test', 'auth.test3', 'auth.test_group'])
@@ -109,7 +106,6 @@ class BaseModelBackendTest(object):
         content_type = ContentType.objects.get_for_model(Group)
         perm = Permission.objects.create(name='test', content_type=content_type, codename='test')
         user.user_permissions.add(perm)
-        user.save()
 
         self.assertEqual(user.has_perm('auth.test', 'object'), False)
         self.assertEqual(user.get_all_permissions('object'), set([]))