diff --git a/test/app-tests/joining.js b/test/app-tests/joining.js
index e835ebb9cb1..89ae4185fe9 100644
--- a/test/app-tests/joining.js
+++ b/test/app-tests/joining.js
@@ -141,11 +141,13 @@ describe('joining a room', function () {
 
                 return q.all([
                     httpBackend.flush('/directory/room/'+encodeURIComponent(ROOM_ALIAS)),
-                    httpBackend.flush('/rooms/'+encodeURIComponent(ROOM_ID)+"/initialSync"),
+                    httpBackend.flush('/rooms/'+encodeURIComponent(ROOM_ID)+"/initialSync", 1, 20),
                 ]);
             }).then(() => {
                 httpBackend.verifyNoOutstandingExpectation();
 
+                return q.delay(1);
+            }).then(() => {
                 // we should now have a roomview, with a preview bar
                 roomView = ReactTestUtils.findRenderedComponentWithType(
                     matrixChat, RoomView);
diff --git a/test/mock-request.js b/test/mock-request.js
index c58301100a5..46d165824d4 100644
--- a/test/mock-request.js
+++ b/test/mock-request.js
@@ -46,9 +46,8 @@ HttpBackend.prototype = {
         const defer = q.defer();
         const self = this;
         let flushed = 0;
-        let triedWaiting = false;
         if (waitTime === undefined) {
-            waitTime = 5;
+            waitTime = 10;
         }
 
         function log(msg) {
@@ -60,6 +59,8 @@ HttpBackend.prototype = {
             + " waitTime=" + waitTime
             + ")",
         );
+        const endTime =  waitTime + Date.now();
+
         const tryFlush = function() {
             // if there's more real requests and more expected requests, flush 'em.
             log(`  trying to flush => reqs=[${self.requests}] ` +
@@ -75,12 +76,11 @@ HttpBackend.prototype = {
                     log(`  flushed. Trying for more.`);
                     setTimeout(tryFlush, 0);
                 }
-            } else if (flushed === 0 && !triedWaiting) {
+            } else if (flushed === 0 && Date.now() < endTime) {
                 // we may not have made the request yet, wait a generous amount of
                 // time before giving up.
                 log(`  nothing to flush yet; waiting for requests.`);
-                setTimeout(tryFlush, waitTime);
-                triedWaiting = true;
+                setTimeout(tryFlush, 5);
             } else {
                 if (flushed === 0) {
                     log("nothing to flush; giving up");