diff --git a/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py b/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
index 13b333e..91b7c9f 100644
--- a/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
+++ b/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
@@ -3178,7 +3178,7 @@ class InteractiveShell(SingletonConfigurable):
         ns = {}
         import_pylab(ns, import_all)
         # warn about clobbered names
-        ignored = set(["__builtins__"])
+        ignored = {"__builtins__"}
         both = set(ns).intersection(self.user_ns).difference(ignored)
         clobbered = [ name for name in both if self.user_ns[name] is not ns[name] ]
         self.user_ns.update(ns)
diff --git a/IPython/core/tests/test_completerlib.py b/IPython/core/tests/test_completerlib.py
index 494bdb2..9cc4609 100644
--- a/IPython/core/tests/test_completerlib.py
+++ b/IPython/core/tests/test_completerlib.py
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class Test_magic_run_completer(unittest.TestCase):
         event = MockEvent(u"%run aa")
         mockself = None
         match = set(magic_run_completer(mockself, event))
-        self.assertEqual(match, set([u"aao.py"]))
+        self.assertEqual(match, {u"aao.py"})
 
     def test_3(self):
         """Test magic_run_completer with unterminated " """
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class Test_magic_run_completer_nonascii(unittest.TestCase):
         event = MockEvent(u"%run a")
         mockself = None
         match = set(magic_run_completer(mockself, event))
-        self.assertEqual(match, set([u"a.py", u"aaø.py"]))
+        self.assertEqual(match, {u"a.py", u"aaø.py"})
 
     @onlyif_unicode_paths
     def test_2(self):
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ class Test_magic_run_completer_nonascii(unittest.TestCase):
         event = MockEvent(u"%run aa")
         mockself = None
         match = set(magic_run_completer(mockself, event))
-        self.assertEqual(match, set([u"aaø.py"]))
+        self.assertEqual(match, {u"aaø.py"})
 
     @onlyif_unicode_paths
     def test_3(self):
@@ -126,14 +126,14 @@ class Test_magic_run_completer_nonascii(unittest.TestCase):
         event = MockEvent(u'%run "a')
         mockself = None
         match = set(magic_run_completer(mockself, event))
-        self.assertEqual(match, set([u"a.py", u"aaø.py"]))
+        self.assertEqual(match, {u"a.py", u"aaø.py"})
 
 # module_completer:
 
 def test_import_invalid_module():
     """Testing of issue https://github.com/ipython/ipython/issues/1107"""
-    invalid_module_names = set(['foo-bar', 'foo:bar', '10foo'])
-    valid_module_names = set(['foobar'])
+    invalid_module_names = {'foo-bar', 'foo:bar', '10foo'}
+    valid_module_names = {'foobar'}
     with TemporaryDirectory() as tmpdir:
         sys.path.insert( 0, tmpdir )
         for name in invalid_module_names | valid_module_names:
diff --git a/IPython/core/tests/test_interactiveshell.py b/IPython/core/tests/test_interactiveshell.py
index 2f43329..ed2b53f 100644
--- a/IPython/core/tests/test_interactiveshell.py
+++ b/IPython/core/tests/test_interactiveshell.py
@@ -645,12 +645,12 @@ class TestAstTransform(unittest.TestCase):
         
         with tt.AssertPrints("best of "):
             ip.run_line_magic("timeit", "-n1 f(1)")
-        self.assertEqual(called, set([-1]))
+        self.assertEqual(called, {-1})
         called.clear()
         
         with tt.AssertPrints("best of "):
             ip.run_cell_magic("timeit", "-n1 f(2)", "f(3)")
-        self.assertEqual(called, set([-2, -3]))
+        self.assertEqual(called, {-2, -3})
     
     def test_time(self):
         called = []
@@ -718,12 +718,12 @@ class TestAstTransform2(unittest.TestCase):
         
         with tt.AssertPrints("best of "):
             ip.run_line_magic("timeit", "-n1 f(1)")
-        self.assertEqual(called, set([(1,)]))
+        self.assertEqual(called, {(1,)})
         called.clear()
         
         with tt.AssertPrints("best of "):
             ip.run_cell_magic("timeit", "-n1 f(2)", "f(3)")
-        self.assertEqual(called, set([(2,), (3,)]))
+        self.assertEqual(called, {(2,), (3,)})
 
 class ErrorTransformer(ast.NodeTransformer):
     """Throws an error when it sees a number."""
@@ -799,12 +799,12 @@ def test_user_variables():
     ip.display_formatter.active_types = ip.display_formatter.format_types
     
     ip.user_ns['dummy'] = d = DummyRepr()
-    keys = set(['dummy', 'doesnotexist'])
+    keys = {'dummy', 'doesnotexist'}
     r = ip.user_expressions({ key:key for key in keys})
 
     nt.assert_equal(keys, set(r.keys()))
     dummy = r['dummy']
-    nt.assert_equal(set(['status', 'data', 'metadata']), set(dummy.keys()))
+    nt.assert_equal({'status', 'data', 'metadata'}, set(dummy.keys()))
     nt.assert_equal(dummy['status'], 'ok')
     data = dummy['data']
     metadata = dummy['metadata']
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ def test_user_expression():
     pprint.pprint(r)
     nt.assert_equal(set(r.keys()), set(query.keys()))
     a = r['a']
-    nt.assert_equal(set(['status', 'data', 'metadata']), set(a.keys()))
+    nt.assert_equal({'status', 'data', 'metadata'}, set(a.keys()))
     nt.assert_equal(a['status'], 'ok')
     data = a['data']
     metadata = a['metadata']
diff --git a/IPython/core/tests/test_profile.py b/IPython/core/tests/test_profile.py
index b20aa0c..4c938ed 100644
--- a/IPython/core/tests/test_profile.py
+++ b/IPython/core/tests/test_profile.py
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ def test_list_profiles_in():
             break
     if dec.unicode_paths:
         nt.assert_true(found_unicode)
-    nt.assert_equal(set(profiles), set(['foo', 'hello']))
+    nt.assert_equal(set(profiles), {'foo', 'hello'})
 
 
 def test_list_bundled_profiles():