diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsN.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsN.java
index 1f06d5702..767a43e92 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsN.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsN.java
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ static void checkArgs(final long numSamples, final double theta, final int numSD
           "numSDev must only be 1,2, or 3 and numSamples must >= 0: numSDev="
               + numSDev + ", numSamples=" + numSamples);
     }
-    if ((theta < 0.0) || (theta > 1.0)) {
+    if ((theta <= 0.0) || (theta > 1.0)) {
       throw new SketchesArgumentException("0.0 < theta <= 1.0: " + theta);
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsNTest.java b/src/test/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsNTest.java
index c991432a9..f0decae19 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsNTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/apache/datasketches/thetacommon/BinomialBoundsNTest.java
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@
 import static org.apache.datasketches.thetacommon.BinomialBoundsN.checkArgs;
 import static org.apache.datasketches.thetacommon.BinomialBoundsN.getLowerBound;
 import static org.apache.datasketches.thetacommon.BinomialBoundsN.getUpperBound;
-import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;
-import static org.testng.Assert.assertTrue;
-import static org.testng.Assert.fail;
+import static org.testng.Assert.*;
 
 import org.apache.datasketches.common.SketchesArgumentException;
 import org.apache.datasketches.thetacommon.BinomialBoundsN;
@@ -119,17 +117,17 @@ public static void checkBounds() {
 
   @Test
   public static void checkCheckArgs() {
-    try {
-      checkArgs(-1L, 1.0, 1);
-      checkArgs(10L, 0.0, 1);
-      checkArgs(10L, 1.01, 1);
-      checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 3);
-      checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 0);
-      checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 4);
-      fail("Expected SketchesArgumentException");
-    } catch (final SketchesArgumentException e) {
-      //pass
-    }
+    assertThrows(SketchesArgumentException.class,
+      () -> checkArgs(-1L, 1.0, 1));
+    assertThrows(SketchesArgumentException.class,
+      () -> checkArgs(10L, 0.0, 1));
+    assertThrows(SketchesArgumentException.class,
+      () -> checkArgs(10L, 1.01, 1));
+    checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 3);
+    assertThrows(SketchesArgumentException.class,
+      () -> checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 0));
+    assertThrows(SketchesArgumentException.class,
+      () -> checkArgs(10L, 1.0, 4));
   }
 
   @Test