diff --git a/syntax_checkers/go.vim b/syntax_checkers/go.vim
index b48d07d5..8270915f 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/go.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/go.vim
@@ -18,5 +18,5 @@ if exists("loaded_go_syntax_checker")
 endif
 let loaded_go_syntax_checker = 1
 
-let s:supported_checkers = ["go", "6g", "gofmt"]
+let s:supported_checkers = ["go", "gofmt"]
 call SyntasticLoadChecker(s:supported_checkers, 'go')
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/go/6g.vim b/syntax_checkers/go/6g.vim
deleted file mode 100644
index 1a4249ed..00000000
--- a/syntax_checkers/go/6g.vim
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-"============================================================================
-"File:        6g.vim
-"Description: Syntax checking plugin for syntastic.vim
-"Maintainer:  Sam Nguyen <samxnguyen@gmail.com>
-"License:     This program is free software. It comes without any warranty,
-"             to the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute
-"             it and/or modify it under the terms of the Do What The Fuck You
-"             Want To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar.
-"             See http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING for more details.
-"
-"============================================================================
-function! SyntaxCheckers_go_GetLocList()
-    let makeprg = '6g -o /dev/null %'
-    let errorformat = '%E%f:%l: %m'
-
-    return SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
-endfunction
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/go/go.vim b/syntax_checkers/go/go.vim
index 3cbbc023..ddb32a93 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/go/go.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/go/go.vim
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "============================================================================
 "File:        go.vim
-"Description: Check go syntax using 'go build'
+"Description: Check go syntax using 'gofmt -l' followed by 'go [build|test]'
 "Maintainer:  Kamil Kisiel <kamil@kamilkisiel.net>
 "License:     This program is free software. It comes without any warranty,
 "             to the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute
@@ -8,10 +8,44 @@
 "             Want To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar.
 "             See http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING for more details.
 "
+" This syntax checker does not reformat your source code.
+" Use a BufWritePre autocommand to that end:
+"   autocmd FileType go autocmd BufWritePre <buffer> Fmt
 "============================================================================
 function! SyntaxCheckers_go_GetLocList()
-    let makeprg = 'go build -o /dev/null'
-    let errorformat = '%f:%l:%c:%m,%E%f:%l:%m,%C%m,%-G#%.%#'
+    " Check with gofmt first, since `go build` and `go test` might not report
+    " syntax errors in the current file if another file with syntax error is
+    " compiled first.
+    let makeprg = 'gofmt -l % 1>/dev/null'
+    let errorformat = '%f:%l:%c: %m,%-G%.%#'
+    let errors = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat, 'defaults': {'type': 'e'} })
 
-    return SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
+    if !empty(errors)
+        return errors
+    endif
+
+    " Test files, i.e. files with a name ending in `_test.go`, are not
+    " compiled by `go build`, therefore `go test` must be called for those.
+    if match(expand('%'), '_test.go$') == -1
+        let makeprg = 'go build -o /dev/null'
+    else
+        let makeprg = 'go test -c -o /dev/null'
+    endif
+    let errorformat = '%f:%l:%c:%m,%f:%l%m,%-G#%.%#'
+
+    " The go compiler needs to either be run with an import path as an
+    " argument or directly from the package directory. Since figuring out
+    " the poper import path is fickle, just pushd/popd to the package.
+    let popd = getcwd()
+    let pushd = expand('%:p:h')
+    "
+    " pushd
+    exec 'lcd ' . fnameescape(pushd)
+
+    let errors = SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat })
+
+    " popd
+    exec 'lcd ' . fnameescape(popd)
+
+    return errors
 endfunction
diff --git a/syntax_checkers/go/gofmt.vim b/syntax_checkers/go/gofmt.vim
index 77abe7e8..982beaa9 100644
--- a/syntax_checkers/go/gofmt.vim
+++ b/syntax_checkers/go/gofmt.vim
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 "============================================================================
 "File:        gofmt.vim
-"Description: Check go syntax using gofmt
+"Description: Check go syntax using 'gofmt -l'
 "Maintainer:  Brandon Thomson <bt@brandonthomson.com>
 "License:     This program is free software. It comes without any warranty,
 "             to the extent permitted by applicable law. You can redistribute
@@ -8,9 +8,12 @@
 "             Want To Public License, Version 2, as published by Sam Hocevar.
 "             See http://sam.zoy.org/wtfpl/COPYING for more details.
 "
+" This syntax checker does not reformat your source code.
+" Use a BufWritePre autocommand to that end:
+"   autocmd FileType go autocmd BufWritePre <buffer> Fmt
 "============================================================================
 function! SyntaxCheckers_go_GetLocList()
-    let makeprg = 'gofmt %'
+    let makeprg = 'gofmt -l % 1>/dev/null'
     let errorformat = '%f:%l:%c: %m,%-G%.%#'
     return SyntasticMake({ 'makeprg': makeprg, 'errorformat': errorformat, 'defaults': {'type': 'e'} })
 endfunction