diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-error.test.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-error.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..25557a24ef51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-error.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import * as parser from '../../src';
+import type { TSESTreeOptions } from '../../src/parser-options';
+import { createAndPrepareParseConfig } from '../../tools/test-utils';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('parseAndGenerateServices', () => {
+  describe('moduleResolver', () => {
+    const { code, config } = createAndPrepareParseConfig();
+
+    const withDefaultProgramConfig: TSESTreeOptions = {
+      ...config,
+      project: './tsconfig.defaultProgram.json',
+      createDefaultProgram: true,
+    };
+
+    describe('when file is not in the project and createDefaultProgram=true', () => {
+      it('returns error because __PLACEHOLDER__ can not be resolved', () => {
+        expect(
+          parser
+            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, withDefaultProgramConfig)
+            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
+        ).toHaveProperty(
+          [0, 'messageText'],
+          "Cannot find module '__PLACEHOLDER__' or its corresponding type declarations.",
+        );
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-success.test.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-success.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9bebf21de1ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.default-program-success.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+import { resolve } from 'path';
+
+import * as parser from '../../src';
+import type { TSESTreeOptions } from '../../src/parser-options';
+import { createAndPrepareParseConfig } from '../../tools/test-utils';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('parseAndGenerateServices', () => {
+  describe('moduleResolver', () => {
+    const { code, config, projectDirectory } = createAndPrepareParseConfig();
+
+    const withDefaultProgramConfig: TSESTreeOptions = {
+      ...config,
+      project: './tsconfig.defaultProgram.json',
+      createDefaultProgram: true,
+    };
+
+    describe('when file is not in the project and createDefaultProgram=true', () => {
+      it('resolves __PLACEHOLDER__ correctly', () => {
+        expect(
+          parser
+            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
+              ...withDefaultProgramConfig,
+              moduleResolver: resolve(projectDirectory, './moduleResolver.js'),
+            })
+            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
+        ).toHaveLength(0);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-error.test.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-error.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..699c88f0f235
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-error.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { resolve } from 'path';
+
+import * as parser from '../../src';
+import { createAndPrepareParseConfig } from '../../tools/test-utils';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('parseAndGenerateServices', () => {
+  describe('moduleResolver', () => {
+    const { code, config, projectDirectory } = createAndPrepareParseConfig();
+
+    describe('when file is in the project', () => {
+      it('returns error if __PLACEHOLDER__ can not be resolved', () => {
+        expect(
+          parser
+            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, config)
+            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
+        ).toHaveProperty(
+          [0, 'messageText'],
+          "Cannot find module '__PLACEHOLDER__' or its corresponding type declarations.",
+        );
+      });
+
+      it('throws error if moduleResolver can not be found', () => {
+        expect(() =>
+          parser.parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
+            ...config,
+            moduleResolver: resolve(
+              projectDirectory,
+              './this_moduleResolver_does_not_exist.js',
+            ),
+          }),
+        ).toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(`
+        "Could not find the provided parserOptions.moduleResolver.
+        Hint: use an absolute path if you are not in control over where the ESLint instance runs."
+      `);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-success.test.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-success.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..eebc01b9369a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.moduleResolver.placeholder-success.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { resolve } from 'path';
+
+import * as parser from '../../src';
+import { createAndPrepareParseConfig } from '../../tools/test-utils';
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  jest.clearAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe('parseAndGenerateServices', () => {
+  describe('moduleResolver', () => {
+    const { code, config, projectDirectory } = createAndPrepareParseConfig();
+
+    describe('when file is in the project', () => {
+      it('resolves __PLACEHOLDER__ correctly', () => {
+        expect(
+          parser
+            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
+              ...config,
+              moduleResolver: resolve(projectDirectory, './moduleResolver.js'),
+            })
+            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
+        ).toHaveLength(0);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.test.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.test.ts
index 76e33bc8e0e0..3e84dd3e069f 100644
--- a/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.test.ts
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tests/lib/parse.test.ts
@@ -753,94 +753,4 @@ describe('parseAndGenerateServices', () => {
       expect(testParse('includeme', ignore)).not.toThrow();
     });
   });
-
-  describe('moduleResolver', () => {
-    beforeEach(() => {
-      parser.clearCaches();
-    });
-
-    const PROJECT_DIR = resolve(FIXTURES_DIR, '../moduleResolver');
-    const code = `
-      import { something } from '__PLACEHOLDER__';
-
-      something();
-    `;
-    const config: TSESTreeOptions = {
-      comment: true,
-      tokens: true,
-      range: true,
-      loc: true,
-      project: './tsconfig.json',
-      tsconfigRootDir: PROJECT_DIR,
-      filePath: resolve(PROJECT_DIR, 'file.ts'),
-    };
-    const withDefaultProgramConfig: TSESTreeOptions = {
-      ...config,
-      project: './tsconfig.defaultProgram.json',
-      createDefaultProgram: true,
-    };
-
-    describe('when file is in the project', () => {
-      it('returns error if __PLACEHOLDER__ can not be resolved', () => {
-        expect(
-          parser
-            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, config)
-            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
-        ).toHaveProperty(
-          [0, 'messageText'],
-          "Cannot find module '__PLACEHOLDER__' or its corresponding type declarations.",
-        );
-      });
-
-      it('throws error if moduleResolver can not be found', () => {
-        expect(() =>
-          parser.parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
-            ...config,
-            moduleResolver: resolve(
-              PROJECT_DIR,
-              './this_moduleResolver_does_not_exist.js',
-            ),
-          }),
-        ).toThrowErrorMatchingInlineSnapshot(`
-        "Could not find the provided parserOptions.moduleResolver.
-        Hint: use an absolute path if you are not in control over where the ESLint instance runs."
-      `);
-      });
-
-      it('resolves __PLACEHOLDER__ correctly', () => {
-        expect(
-          parser
-            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
-              ...config,
-              moduleResolver: resolve(PROJECT_DIR, './moduleResolver.js'),
-            })
-            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
-        ).toHaveLength(0);
-      });
-    });
-
-    describe('when file is not in the project and createDefaultProgram=true', () => {
-      it('returns error because __PLACEHOLDER__ can not be resolved', () => {
-        expect(
-          parser
-            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, withDefaultProgramConfig)
-            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
-        ).toHaveProperty(
-          [0, 'messageText'],
-          "Cannot find module '__PLACEHOLDER__' or its corresponding type declarations.",
-        );
-      });
-
-      it('resolves __PLACEHOLDER__ correctly', () => {
-        expect(
-          parser
-            .parseAndGenerateServices(code, {
-              ...withDefaultProgramConfig,
-              moduleResolver: resolve(PROJECT_DIR, './moduleResolver.js'),
-            })
-            .services.program.getSemanticDiagnostics(),
-        ).toHaveLength(0);
-      });
-    });
-  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/typescript-estree/tools/test-utils.ts b/packages/typescript-estree/tools/test-utils.ts
index b3b873acc6a4..6f40b597ca73 100644
--- a/packages/typescript-estree/tools/test-utils.ts
+++ b/packages/typescript-estree/tools/test-utils.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
+import { join, resolve } from 'path';
+
 import type {
   ParseAndGenerateServicesResult,
   TSESTree,
   TSESTreeOptions,
 } from '../src';
-import { parse as parserParse, parseAndGenerateServices } from '../src';
+import {
+  clearCaches,
+  parse as parserParse,
+  parseAndGenerateServices,
+} from '../src';
 
 export function parseCodeAndGenerateServices(
   code: string,
@@ -153,3 +159,41 @@ export function omitDeep<T = UnknownObject>(
 
   return visit(root as UnknownObject, null);
 }
+
+interface CreateAndPrepareParseConfig {
+  code: string;
+  config: TSESTreeOptions;
+  projectDirectory: string;
+}
+
+const FIXTURES_DIR = join(__dirname, '../tests/fixtures/simpleProject');
+
+export function createAndPrepareParseConfig(): CreateAndPrepareParseConfig {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    clearCaches();
+  });
+
+  const projectDirectory = resolve(FIXTURES_DIR, '../moduleResolver');
+
+  const code = `
+    import { something } from '__PLACEHOLDER__';
+
+    something();
+  `;
+
+  const config: TSESTreeOptions = {
+    comment: true,
+    filePath: resolve(projectDirectory, 'file.ts'),
+    loc: true,
+    project: './tsconfig.json',
+    range: true,
+    tokens: true,
+    tsconfigRootDir: projectDirectory,
+  };
+
+  return {
+    code,
+    config,
+    projectDirectory,
+  };
+}