diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/recovery/RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/recovery/RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests.java
index 825c8526c99..c9bff451606 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/recovery/RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/recovery/RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests.java
@@ -99,18 +99,20 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             writers[i].start();
         }
         try {
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 2000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(2000);
-            logger.info("--> 2000 docs indexed");
+            final int totalNumDocs = scaledRandomIntBetween(200, 20000);
+            int waitFor = totalNumDocs / 3;
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
 
             logger.info("--> flushing the index ....");
             // now flush, just to make sure we have some data in the index, not just translog
             client().admin().indices().prepareFlush().execute().actionGet();
 
-
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 4000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(4000);
-            logger.info("--> 4000 docs indexed");
+            waitFor += totalNumDocs / 3;
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
 
             logger.info("--> allow 2 nodes for index [test] ...");
             // now start another node, while we index
@@ -120,9 +122,9 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             // make sure the cluster state is green, and all has been recovered
             assertThat(client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setWaitForEvents(Priority.LANGUID).setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().setWaitForNodes(">=2").execute().actionGet().isTimedOut(), equalTo(false));
 
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 15000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(15000);
-            logger.info("--> 15000 docs indexed");
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", totalNumDocs);
+            waitForDocs(totalNumDocs);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed", totalNumDocs);
 
             logger.info("--> marking and waiting for indexing threads to stop ...");
             stop.set(true);
@@ -179,20 +181,21 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             };
             writers[i].start();
         }
-
+        final int totalNumDocs = scaledRandomIntBetween(200, 20000);
+        int waitFor = totalNumDocs / 3;
         try {
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 2000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(2000);
-            logger.info("--> 2000 docs indexed");
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
 
             logger.info("--> flushing the index ....");
             // now flush, just to make sure we have some data in the index, not just translog
             client().admin().indices().prepareFlush().execute().actionGet();
 
-
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 4000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(4000);
-            logger.info("--> 4000 docs indexed");
+            waitFor += totalNumDocs / 3;
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
             logger.info("--> allow 4 nodes for index [test] ...");
             allowNodes("test", 4);
 
@@ -200,9 +203,9 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             assertThat(client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setWaitForEvents(Priority.LANGUID).setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().setWaitForNodes(">=4").execute().actionGet().isTimedOut(), equalTo(false));
 
 
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 15000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(15000);
-            logger.info("--> 15000 docs indexed");
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", totalNumDocs);
+            waitForDocs(totalNumDocs);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed", totalNumDocs);
 
             stop.set(true);
             stopLatch.await();
@@ -264,19 +267,21 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             };
             writers[i].start();
         }
+        final int totalNumDocs = scaledRandomIntBetween(200, 20000);
+        int waitFor = totalNumDocs / 3;
         try {
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 2000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(2000);
-            logger.info("--> 2000 docs indexed");
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
 
             logger.info("--> flushing the index ....");
             // now flush, just to make sure we have some data in the index, not just translog
             client().admin().indices().prepareFlush().execute().actionGet();
 
-
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 4000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(4000);
-            logger.info("--> 4000 docs indexed");
+            waitFor += totalNumDocs / 3;
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", waitFor);
+            waitForDocs(waitFor);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  waitFor);
 
             // now start more nodes, while we index
             logger.info("--> allow 4 nodes for index [test] ...");
@@ -286,10 +291,9 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
             assertThat(client().admin().cluster().prepareHealth().setWaitForEvents(Priority.LANGUID).setTimeout("1m").setWaitForGreenStatus().setWaitForNodes(">=4").execute().actionGet().isTimedOut(), equalTo(false));
 
 
-            logger.info("--> waiting for 15000 docs to be indexed ...");
-            waitForDocs(15000);
-            logger.info("--> 15000 docs indexed");
-
+            logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", totalNumDocs);
+            waitForDocs(totalNumDocs);
+            logger.info("--> {} docs indexed",  totalNumDocs);
             // now, shutdown nodes
             logger.info("--> allow 3 nodes for index [test] ...");
             allowNodes("test", 3);
@@ -341,6 +345,7 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
         final CountDownLatch stopLatch = new CountDownLatch(writers.length);
         logger.info("--> starting {} indexing threads", writers.length);
         final CopyOnWriteArrayList<Throwable> failures = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+        final CountDownLatch startLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
         for (int i = 0; i < writers.length; i++) {
             final int indexerId = i;
             final Client client = client();
@@ -349,6 +354,7 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
                 public void run() {
                     long id = -1;
                     try {
+                        startLatch.await();
                         logger.info("**** starting indexing thread {}", indexerId);
                         while (!stop.get()) {
                             id = idGenerator.incrementAndGet();
@@ -369,8 +375,10 @@ public class RecoveryWhileUnderLoadTests extends ElasticsearchIntegrationTest {
         }
         try {
 
-            final int numDocs = between(10000, 50000);
-            for (int i = 0; i < numDocs; i += between(100, 1000)) {
+            final int numDocs = scaledRandomIntBetween(200, 50000);
+            logger.info("--> indexing {} docs in total ...", numDocs);
+            startLatch.countDown();
+            for (int i = 0; i < numDocs; i += scaledRandomIntBetween(100, Math.min(1000, numDocs))) {
                 assertThat(failures, emptyIterable());
                 logger.info("--> waiting for {} docs to be indexed ...", i);
                 waitForDocs(i);