diff --git modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
index 9d87798..bae9e81 100644
--- modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
+++ modules/simpletest/drupal_web_test_case.php
@@ -750,10 +750,14 @@ class DrupalWebTestCase extends DrupalTestCase {
    * @param $settings
    *   An array of settings to change from the defaults.
    *   Example: 'type' => 'foo'.
+   * @param $variables
+   *   An array with variables that need to be saved, before the content type is
+   *   created (e.g. array('variable' => 'value')). The variables are saved in the
+   *   form of [variable]_[content type name].
    * @return
    *   Created content type.
    */
-  protected function drupalCreateContentType($settings = array()) {
+  protected function drupalCreateContentType($settings = array(), $variables = array()) {
     // Find a non-existent random type name.
     do {
       $name = strtolower($this->randomName(8));
@@ -783,6 +787,13 @@ class DrupalWebTestCase extends DrupalTestCase {
     $type = $forced + $settings + $defaults;
     $type = (object)$type;
 
+    foreach ($variables as $key => $value) {
+      // We imitate the way node_type_form_submit() saved variables before
+      // creating the content type.
+      // We have it here as we need to add the suffix of the content type name.
+      variable_set($key . '_' . $name, $value);
+    }
+
     $saved_type = node_type_save($type);
     node_types_rebuild();
     menu_rebuild();
diff --git modules/simpletest/simpletest.test modules/simpletest/simpletest.test
index 8e63d41..25684c3 100644
--- modules/simpletest/simpletest.test
+++ modules/simpletest/simpletest.test
@@ -404,3 +404,28 @@ class SimpleTestMissingDependentModuleUnitTest extends DrupalUnitTestCase {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Test simpletest asserts.
+ */
+class SimpleTestAssertUnitTest extends DrupalWebTestCase {
+  public static function getInfo() {
+    return array(
+      'name' => 'SimpleTest asserts',
+      'description' => 'Test the assertion functions.',
+      'group' => 'SimpleTest',
+    );
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Test assert functions.
+   */
+  function testAsserts() {
+    $this->assertDrupalCreateContentType();
+  }
+  /**
+   * Assert variables are saved when creating new content type.
+   */
+  function assertDrupalCreateContentType() {
+    $content_type = $this->drupalCreateContentType(array(), array('variable' => 'value'));
+    $this->assertTrue(variable_get('variable_' . $content_type->type, '') == 'value', t('Variable was saved when creating the new content type.'));
+  }
+}
+