diff --git a/django/contrib/gis/tests/tests.py b/django/contrib/gis/tests/tests.py
index 9a4c2bcbdd..cc52d2429b 100644
--- a/django/contrib/gis/tests/tests.py
+++ b/django/contrib/gis/tests/tests.py
@@ -1,13 +1,25 @@
+import sys
 import unittest
 
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.db import ProgrammingError
+from django.utils import six
 
 try:
     from django.contrib.gis.db.backends.postgis.operations import PostGISOperations
     HAS_POSTGRES = True
 except ImportError:
     HAS_POSTGRES = False
+except ImproperlyConfigured as e:
+    # If psycopg is installed but not geos, the import path hits
+    # django.contrib.gis.geometry.backend which will "helpfully" convert
+    # an ImportError into an ImproperlyConfigured.
+    # Here, we make sure we're only catching this specific case and not another
+    # ImproperlyConfigured one.
+    if e.args and e.args[0].startswith('Could not import user-defined GEOMETRY_BACKEND'):
+        HAS_POSTGRES = False
+    else:
+        six.reraise(*sys.exc_info())
 
 
 if HAS_POSTGRES: