diff --git a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
index e056f2146c3f1..aed7e30033b8a 100644
--- a/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
+++ b/mllib/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/mllib/fpm/PrefixSpan.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 
 package org.apache.spark.mllib.fpm
 
+import scala.collection.mutable.ArrayBuffer
+
 import org.apache.spark.Logging
 import org.apache.spark.annotation.Experimental
 import org.apache.spark.rdd.RDD
@@ -43,7 +45,7 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
     private var minSupport: Double,
     private var maxPatternLength: Int) extends Logging with Serializable {
 
-  private val minPatternsBeforeShuffle: Int = 20
+  private val minPatternsBeforeLocalProcessing: Int = 20
 
   /**
    * Constructs a default instance with default parameters
@@ -88,16 +90,20 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
     val prefixSuffixPairs = getPrefixSuffixPairs(
       lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.map(_._1).collect(), sequences)
     var patternsCount: Long = lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.count()
-    var allPatternAndCounts = lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.map(x => (Array(x._1), x._2))
+    var allPatternAndCounts = lengthOnePatternsAndCounts.map(x => (ArrayBuffer(x._1), x._2))
     var currentPrefixSuffixPairs = prefixSuffixPairs
-    while (patternsCount <= minPatternsBeforeShuffle && currentPrefixSuffixPairs.count() != 0) {
+    var patternLength: Int = 1
+    while (patternLength < maxPatternLength &&
+      patternsCount <= minPatternsBeforeLocalProcessing &&
+      currentPrefixSuffixPairs.count() != 0) {
       val (nextPatternAndCounts, nextPrefixSuffixPairs) =
         getPatternCountsAndPrefixSuffixPairs(minCount, currentPrefixSuffixPairs)
-      patternsCount = nextPatternAndCounts.count().toInt
+      patternsCount = nextPatternAndCounts.count()
       currentPrefixSuffixPairs = nextPrefixSuffixPairs
       allPatternAndCounts = allPatternAndCounts ++ nextPatternAndCounts
+      patternLength = patternLength + 1
     }
-    if (patternsCount > 0) {
+    if (patternLength < maxPatternLength && patternsCount > 0) {
       val projectedDatabase = currentPrefixSuffixPairs
         .map(x => (x._1.toSeq, x._2))
         .groupByKey()
@@ -105,49 +111,44 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
       val nextPatternAndCounts = getPatternsInLocal(minCount, projectedDatabase)
       allPatternAndCounts = allPatternAndCounts ++ nextPatternAndCounts
     }
-    allPatternAndCounts
+    allPatternAndCounts.map { case (pattern, count) => (pattern.toArray, count) }
   }
 
   /**
    * Get the pattern and counts, and prefix suffix pairs
    * @param minCount minimum count
-   * @param prefixSuffixPairs prefix and suffix pairs,
-   * @return pattern and counts, and prefix suffix pairs
-   *         (Array[pattern, count], RDD[prefix, suffix ])
+   * @param prefixSuffixPairs prefix (length n) and suffix pairs,
+   * @return pattern (length n+1) and counts, and prefix (length n+1) and suffix pairs
+   *         (RDD[pattern, count], RDD[prefix, suffix ])
    */
   private def getPatternCountsAndPrefixSuffixPairs(
       minCount: Long,
-      prefixSuffixPairs: RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])]):
-  (RDD[(Array[Int], Long)], RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])]) = {
-    val prefixAndFreqentItemAndCounts = prefixSuffixPairs
-      .flatMap { case (prefix, suffix) =>
-      suffix.distinct.map(y => ((prefix.toSeq, y), 1L))
-    }.reduceByKey(_ + _)
+      prefixSuffixPairs: RDD[(ArrayBuffer[Int], Array[Int])]):
+  (RDD[(ArrayBuffer[Int], Long)], RDD[(ArrayBuffer[Int], Array[Int])]) = {
+    val prefixAndFrequentItemAndCounts = prefixSuffixPairs
+      .flatMap { case (prefix, suffix) => suffix.distinct.map(y => ((prefix, y), 1L)) }
+      .reduceByKey(_ + _)
       .filter(_._2 >= minCount)
-    val patternAndCounts = prefixAndFreqentItemAndCounts
-      .map{ case ((prefix, item), count) => (prefix.toArray :+ item, count) }
-    val prefixlength = prefixSuffixPairs.first()._1.length
-    if (prefixlength + 1 >= maxPatternLength) {
-      (patternAndCounts, prefixSuffixPairs.filter(x => false))
-    } else {
-      val frequentItemsMap = prefixAndFreqentItemAndCounts
-        .keys
-        .groupByKey()
-        .mapValues(_.toSet)
-        .collect
-        .toMap
-      val nextPrefixSuffixPairs = prefixSuffixPairs
-        .filter(x => frequentItemsMap.contains(x._1))
-        .flatMap { case (prefix, suffix) =>
-        val frequentItemSet = frequentItemsMap(prefix)
-        val filteredSuffix = suffix.filter(frequentItemSet.contains(_))
-        val nextSuffixes = frequentItemSet.map{ item =>
-          (item, LocalPrefixSpan.getSuffix(item, filteredSuffix))
-        }.filter(_._2.nonEmpty)
-        nextSuffixes.map { case (item, suffix) => (prefix :+ item, suffix) }
+    val patternAndCounts = prefixAndFrequentItemAndCounts
+      .map { case ((prefix, item), count) => (prefix :+ item, count) }
+    val prefixToFrequentNextItemsMap = prefixAndFrequentItemAndCounts
+      .keys
+      .groupByKey()
+      .mapValues(_.toSet)
+      .collect()
+      .toMap
+    val nextPrefixSuffixPairs = prefixSuffixPairs
+      .filter(x => prefixToFrequentNextItemsMap.contains(x._1))
+      .flatMap { case (prefix, suffix) =>
+      val frequentNextItems = prefixToFrequentNextItemsMap(prefix)
+      val filteredSuffix = suffix.filter(frequentNextItems.contains(_))
+      frequentNextItems.flatMap { item =>
+        val suffix = LocalPrefixSpan.getSuffix(item, filteredSuffix)
+        if (suffix.isEmpty) None
+        else Some(prefix :+ item, suffix)
       }
-      (patternAndCounts, nextPrefixSuffixPairs)
     }
+    (patternAndCounts, nextPrefixSuffixPairs)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -181,14 +182,14 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
    */
   private def getPrefixSuffixPairs(
       frequentPrefixes: Array[Int],
-      sequences: RDD[Array[Int]]): RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Int])] = {
+      sequences: RDD[Array[Int]]): RDD[(ArrayBuffer[Int], Array[Int])] = {
     val filteredSequences = sequences.map { p =>
       p.filter (frequentPrefixes.contains(_) )
     }
     filteredSequences.flatMap { x =>
       frequentPrefixes.map { y =>
         val sub = LocalPrefixSpan.getSuffix(y, x)
-        (Array(y), sub)
+        (ArrayBuffer(y), sub)
       }.filter(_._2.nonEmpty)
     }
   }
@@ -201,9 +202,9 @@ class PrefixSpan private (
    */
   private def getPatternsInLocal(
       minCount: Long,
-      data: RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Array[Int]])]): RDD[(Array[Int], Long)] = {
-    data.flatMap { x =>
-      LocalPrefixSpan.run(minCount, maxPatternLength, x._1, x._2)
-    }
+      data: RDD[(Array[Int], Array[Array[Int]])]): RDD[(ArrayBuffer[Int], Long)] = {
+    data
+      .flatMap { x => LocalPrefixSpan.run(minCount, maxPatternLength, x._1, x._2) }
+      .map { case (pattern, count) => (pattern.to[ArrayBuffer], count) }
   }
 }