diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index fb1aa7481d7e0..5229fd565ab71 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -188,6 +188,12 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](http://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 - Fixed comparing required versions ([#6434](https://github.com/PyTorchLightning/pytorch-lightning/pull/6434))
 
 
+- Fixed error on TPUs when there was no `ModelCheckpoint` ([#6654](https://github.com/PyTorchLightning/pytorch-lightning/pull/6654))
+
+
+- Fixed `trainer.test` freeze on TPUs ([#6654](https://github.com/PyTorchLightning/pytorch-lightning/pull/6654))
+
+
 - Fixed a bug where gradients were disabled after calling `Trainer.predict` ([#6657](https://github.com/PyTorchLightning/pytorch-lightning/pull/6657))
 
 
diff --git a/pytorch_lightning/plugins/training_type/tpu_spawn.py b/pytorch_lightning/plugins/training_type/tpu_spawn.py
index 3887e0cd98908..a8706d54cb5c9 100644
--- a/pytorch_lightning/plugins/training_type/tpu_spawn.py
+++ b/pytorch_lightning/plugins/training_type/tpu_spawn.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Optional, Union
 
 import torch
-import torch.distributed as torch_distrib
 import torch.multiprocessing as mp
 
 from pytorch_lightning.core.lightning import LightningModule
@@ -109,13 +108,15 @@ def new_process(self, process_idx: int, trainer, mp_queue) -> None:
 
         # replace trainer save_checkpoint to use `xm.save`
         trainer.save_checkpoint = self.save_checkpoint
-        self.barrier()
+        self.barrier("pre-run-stage")
 
         results = trainer.run_stage()
 
         self.__save_end_of_training_weights(self.lightning_module)
         self.transfer_distrib_spawn_state_on_fit_end(results)
 
+        self.barrier("end-process")
+
     def __save_end_of_training_weights(self, model: LightningModule) -> None:
         # when training ends on these platforms dump weights to get out of the main process
         if on_colab_kaggle():
@@ -126,11 +127,11 @@ def model_to_device(self) -> None:
         self._model.to(xm.xla_device())
 
     def barrier(self, name: Optional[str] = None) -> None:
-        if torch_distrib.is_initialized():
-            rendezvous(f"pl.Trainer.{name}")
+        rendezvous(name)
 
     def transfer_distrib_spawn_state_on_fit_end(self, results):
-        best_model_path = self.lightning_module.trainer.checkpoint_callback.best_model_path
+        checkpoint_callback = self.lightning_module.trainer.checkpoint_callback
+        best_model_path = checkpoint_callback.best_model_path if checkpoint_callback else None
 
         if self.mp_queue is not None:
             rank_zero_warn("cleaning up ddp environment...")
diff --git a/pytorch_lightning/trainer/trainer.py b/pytorch_lightning/trainer/trainer.py
index 644b2f52b13ea..98f4727fb9eec 100644
--- a/pytorch_lightning/trainer/trainer.py
+++ b/pytorch_lightning/trainer/trainer.py
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@
 from pytorch_lightning.trainer.training_loop import TrainLoop
 from pytorch_lightning.trainer.training_tricks import TrainerTrainingTricksMixin
 from pytorch_lightning.tuner.tuning import Tuner
-from pytorch_lightning.utilities import rank_zero_warn
+from pytorch_lightning.utilities import DeviceType, rank_zero_warn
 from pytorch_lightning.utilities.cloud_io import load as pl_load
 from pytorch_lightning.utilities.debugging import InternalDebugger
 from pytorch_lightning.utilities.exceptions import MisconfigurationException
@@ -983,7 +983,9 @@ def __load_ckpt_weights(
                     ' specify a path for a checkpoint `.{fn}(ckpt_path=PATH)`'
                 )
 
-            self.training_type_plugin.barrier()
+            # only one process running at this point for TPUs, as spawn isn't triggered yet
+            if not self._device_type == DeviceType.TPU:
+                self.training_type_plugin.barrier()
 
             ckpt = pl_load(ckpt_path, map_location=lambda storage, loc: storage)
             model.load_state_dict(ckpt['state_dict'])
diff --git a/tests/models/test_tpu.py b/tests/models/test_tpu.py
index 5358b9f881048..b2ed0db87d8d5 100644
--- a/tests/models/test_tpu.py
+++ b/tests/models/test_tpu.py
@@ -357,13 +357,14 @@ def test_reduce(rank):
     xmp.spawn(test_reduce, nprocs=8, start_method='fork')
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("clip_val", [0, 10])
 @RunIf(tpu=True)
 @pl_multi_process_test
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("clip_val", [10])
 @mock.patch("pytorch_lightning.accelerators.tpu.xla_clip_grad_norm_")
 def test_tpu_precision_16_clip_gradients(mock_clip_grad_norm, clip_val, tmpdir):
     """
     Ensure that clip gradients is only called if the value is greater than 0.
+    TODO: Fix (test fails with parametrize)
     """
     tutils.reset_seed()
     trainer_options = dict(
@@ -383,3 +384,15 @@ def test_tpu_precision_16_clip_gradients(mock_clip_grad_norm, clip_val, tmpdir):
         mock_clip_grad_norm.assert_called()
     else:
         mock_clip_grad_norm.assert_not_called()
+
+
+@RunIf(tpu=True)
+@pl_multi_process_test
+def test_if_test_works_with_checkpoint_false(tmpdir):
+    """Ensure that model trains properly when `checkpoint_callback` is set to False."""
+
+    # Train a model on TPU
+    model = BoringModel()
+    trainer = Trainer(max_epochs=1, tpu_cores=8, default_root_dir=tmpdir, fast_dev_run=True, checkpoint_callback=False)
+    trainer.fit(model)
+    assert trainer.state == TrainerState.FINISHED, f"Training failed with {trainer.state}"