diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
index 64aff9a574d..e024c96ed8c 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/CHANGES.txt
@@ -79,6 +79,9 @@ Release 2.4.1 - UNRELEASED
     MAPREDUCE-5827. TestSpeculativeExecutionWithMRApp fails.
     (Zhijie Shen via cnauroth)
 
+    MAPREDUCE-5833. TestRMContainerAllocator fails ocassionally.
+    (Zhijie Shen via cnauroth)
+
 Release 2.4.0 - 2014-04-07 
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/rm/RMContainerAllocator.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/rm/RMContainerAllocator.java
index fc56700b247..4418aa259be 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/rm/RMContainerAllocator.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/rm/RMContainerAllocator.java
@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ public class RMContainerAllocator extends RMContainerRequestor
   private long retryInterval;
   private long retrystartTime;
 
-  BlockingQueue<ContainerAllocatorEvent> eventQueue
+  @VisibleForTesting
+  protected BlockingQueue<ContainerAllocatorEvent> eventQueue
     = new LinkedBlockingQueue<ContainerAllocatorEvent>();
 
   private ScheduleStats scheduleStats = new ScheduleStats();
diff --git a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/TestRMContainerAllocator.java b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/TestRMContainerAllocator.java
index 9a0de8d53bf..1785864ae6d 100644
--- a/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/TestRMContainerAllocator.java
+++ b/hadoop-mapreduce-project/hadoop-mapreduce-client/hadoop-mapreduce-client-app/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/mapreduce/v2/app/TestRMContainerAllocator.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.TaskState;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.api.records.TaskType;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.client.ClientService;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.Job;
+import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.JobStateInternal;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.Task;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.TaskAttempt;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.TaskAttemptStateInternal;
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.event.TaskAttemptContainerAssigned
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.event.TaskAttemptEvent;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.event.TaskAttemptEventType;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.event.TaskAttemptKillEvent;
+import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.impl.JobImpl;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.job.impl.TaskAttemptImpl;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.rm.ContainerAllocator;
 import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.v2.app.rm.ContainerFailedEvent;
@@ -73,6 +75,7 @@ import org.apache.hadoop.net.NetUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.net.NetworkTopology;
 import org.apache.hadoop.security.UserGroupInformation;
 import org.apache.hadoop.security.token.Token;
+import org.apache.hadoop.test.GenericTestUtils;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.api.ApplicationMasterProtocol;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.api.records.ApplicationAttemptId;
 import org.apache.hadoop.yarn.api.records.ApplicationId;
@@ -104,6 +107,8 @@ import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
 
+import com.google.common.base.Supplier;
+
 @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 public class TestRMContainerAllocator {
 
@@ -579,7 +584,7 @@ public class TestRMContainerAllocator {
     MyContainerAllocator allocator = (MyContainerAllocator) mrApp
       .getContainerAllocator();
 
-    mrApp.waitForState(job, JobState.RUNNING);
+    mrApp.waitForInternalState((JobImpl) job, JobStateInternal.RUNNING);
 
     amDispatcher.await();
     // Wait till all map-attempts request for containers
@@ -731,7 +736,7 @@ public class TestRMContainerAllocator {
     MyContainerAllocator allocator = (MyContainerAllocator) mrApp
       .getContainerAllocator();
 
-    mrApp.waitForState(job, JobState.RUNNING);
+    mrApp.waitForInternalState((JobImpl)job, JobStateInternal.RUNNING);
 
     amDispatcher.await();
     // Wait till all map-attempts request for containers
@@ -1550,7 +1555,15 @@ public class TestRMContainerAllocator {
     }
     
     // API to be used by tests
-    public List<TaskAttemptContainerAssignedEvent> schedule() {
+    public List<TaskAttemptContainerAssignedEvent> schedule()
+        throws Exception {
+      // before doing heartbeat with RM, drain all the outstanding events to
+      // ensure all the requests before this heartbeat is to be handled
+      GenericTestUtils.waitFor(new Supplier<Boolean>() {
+        public Boolean get() {
+          return eventQueue.isEmpty();
+        }
+      }, 100, 10000);
       // run the scheduler
       try {
         super.heartbeat();
@@ -1586,7 +1599,6 @@ public class TestRMContainerAllocator {
     public boolean isUnregistered() {
       return isUnregistered;
     }
-        
   }
 
   @Test