diff --git a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestSplitTransactionOnCluster.java b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestSplitTransactionOnCluster.java
index a9e7c58bc08..fcfb7647829 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestSplitTransactionOnCluster.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/TestSplitTransactionOnCluster.java
@@ -158,8 +158,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       // Now try splitting and it should work.
       split(hri, server, regionCount);
       // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      List<HRegion> daughters = checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // Assert the ephemeral node is up in zk.
       String path = ZKAssign.getNodeName(TESTING_UTIL.getZooKeeperWatcher(),
         hri.getEncodedName());
@@ -187,7 +186,12 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
         assertTrue(daughters.contains(r));
       }
       // Finally assert that the ephemeral SPLIT znode was cleaned up.
-      stats = TESTING_UTIL.getZooKeeperWatcher().getRecoverableZooKeeper().exists(path, false);
+      for (int i=0; i<100; i++) {
+        // wait a bit (10s max) for the node to disappear
+        stats = TESTING_UTIL.getZooKeeperWatcher().getRecoverableZooKeeper().exists(path, false);
+        if (stats == null) break;
+        Thread.sleep(100);
+      }
       LOG.info("EPHEMERAL NODE AFTER SERVER ABORT, path=" + path + ", stats=" + stats);
       assertTrue(stats == null);
     } finally {
@@ -241,8 +245,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       // Now try splitting and it should work.
       split(hri, server, regionCount);
       // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // OK, so split happened after we cleared the blocking node.
     } finally {
       admin.setBalancerRunning(true, false);
@@ -284,8 +287,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       // Now split.
       split(hri, server, regionCount);
       // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      List<HRegion> daughters = checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // Remove one of the daughters from .META. to simulate failed insert of
       // daughter region up into .META.
       removeDaughterFromMeta(daughters.get(0).getRegionName());
@@ -341,11 +343,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       // Now split.
       split(hri, server, regionCount);
       // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters;
-      do {
-        daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      } while (daughters.size() < 2);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      List<HRegion> daughters = checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // Now split one of the daughters.
       regionCount = ProtobufUtil.getOnlineRegions(server).size();
       HRegionInfo daughter = daughters.get(0).getRegionInfo();
@@ -426,14 +424,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       // Now try splitting and it should work.
       
       this.admin.split(hri.getRegionNameAsString());
-      while (!(cluster.getRegions(tableName).size() >= 2)) {
-        LOG.debug("Waiting on region to split");
-        Thread.sleep(100);
-      }
-      
-      // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // Assert the ephemeral node is up in zk.
       String path = ZKAssign.getNodeName(t.getConnection()
           .getZooKeeperWatcher(), hri.getEncodedName());
@@ -502,14 +493,7 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
       printOutRegions(server, "Initial regions: ");
       
       this.admin.split(hri.getRegionNameAsString());
-      while (!(cluster.getRegions(tableName).size() >= 2)) {
-        LOG.debug("Waiting on region to split");
-        Thread.sleep(100);
-      }
-
-      // Get daughters
-      List<HRegion> daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
-      assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+      checkAndGetDaughters(tableName);
       // Assert the ephemeral node is up in zk.
       String path = ZKAssign.getNodeName(t.getConnection()
           .getZooKeeperWatcher(), hri.getEncodedName());
@@ -786,6 +770,19 @@ public class TestSplitTransactionOnCluster {
 
   }
 
+  private List<HRegion> checkAndGetDaughters(byte[] tableName)
+      throws InterruptedException {    
+    List<HRegion> daughters = null;
+    // try up to 10s
+    for (int i=0; i<100; i++) {
+      daughters = cluster.getRegions(tableName);
+      if (daughters.size() >= 2) break;
+      Thread.sleep(100);
+    }
+    assertTrue(daughters.size() >= 2);
+    return daughters;
+  }
+
   private MockMasterWithoutCatalogJanitor abortAndWaitForMaster() 
   throws IOException, InterruptedException {
     cluster.abortMaster(0);