diff --git a/db/db_compaction_test.cc b/db/db_compaction_test.cc
index 065384a8a3..26708f9390 100644
--- a/db/db_compaction_test.cc
+++ b/db/db_compaction_test.cc
@@ -2848,14 +2848,16 @@ TEST_P(DBCompactionTestWithParam, PartialCompactionFailure) {
   options.max_bytes_for_level_multiplier = 2;
   options.compression = kNoCompression;
   options.max_subcompactions = max_subcompactions_;
-  options.max_background_compactions = 1;
 
   env_->SetBackgroundThreads(1, Env::HIGH);
-  env_->SetBackgroundThreads(1, Env::LOW);
   // stop the compaction thread until we simulate the file creation failure.
-  test::SleepingBackgroundTask sleeping_task_low;
-  env_->Schedule(&test::SleepingBackgroundTask::DoSleepTask, &sleeping_task_low,
-                 Env::Priority::LOW);
+  std::vector<test::SleepingBackgroundTask> sleeping_task_low(
+      std::max(1, env_->GetBackgroundThreads(Env::Priority::LOW)));
+  for (auto& sleeping_task : sleeping_task_low) {
+    env_->Schedule(&test::SleepingBackgroundTask::DoSleepTask, &sleeping_task,
+                   Env::Priority::LOW);
+    sleeping_task.WaitUntilSleeping();
+  }
 
   options.env = env_;
 
@@ -2885,8 +2887,8 @@ TEST_P(DBCompactionTestWithParam, PartialCompactionFailure) {
 
   // Fail the first file creation.
   env_->non_writable_count_ = 1;
-  sleeping_task_low.WakeUp();
-  sleeping_task_low.WaitUntilDone();
+  sleeping_task_low[0].WakeUp();
+  sleeping_task_low[0].WaitUntilDone();
 
   // Expect compaction to fail here as one file will fail its
   // creation.
@@ -2904,6 +2906,10 @@ TEST_P(DBCompactionTestWithParam, PartialCompactionFailure) {
   }
 
   env_->non_writable_count_ = 0;
+  for (size_t i = 1; i < sleeping_task_low.size(); ++i) {
+    sleeping_task_low[i].WakeUp();
+    sleeping_task_low[i].WaitUntilDone();
+  }
 
   // Make sure RocksDB will not get into corrupted state.
   Reopen(options);
diff --git a/db/db_range_del_test.cc b/db/db_range_del_test.cc
index 8451143392..40605ac05c 100644
--- a/db/db_range_del_test.cc
+++ b/db/db_range_del_test.cc
@@ -638,6 +638,8 @@ TEST_F(DBRangeDelTest, TableEvictedDuringScan) {
   bbto.cache_index_and_filter_blocks = true;
   bbto.block_cache = NewLRUCache(8 << 20);
   opts.table_factory.reset(NewBlockBasedTableFactory(bbto));
+  opts.max_background_compactions = -1;
+  env_->SetBackgroundThreads(1, Env::Priority::LOW);
   DestroyAndReopen(opts);
 
   // Hold a snapshot so range deletions can't become obsolete during compaction
diff --git a/db/deletefile_test.cc b/db/deletefile_test.cc
index 012f30b4ed..f90075aaca 100644
--- a/db/deletefile_test.cc
+++ b/db/deletefile_test.cc
@@ -419,6 +419,7 @@ TEST_F(DeleteFileTest, BackgroundPurgeCopyOptions) {
   for (auto& sleeping_task : sleeping_task_after) {
     env_->Schedule(&test::SleepingBackgroundTask::DoSleepTask, &sleeping_task,
                    Env::Priority::LOW);
+    sleeping_task.WaitUntilSleeping();
   }
 
   // Make sure all background purges are executed