diff --git a/test/core/gprpp/work_serializer_test.cc b/test/core/gprpp/work_serializer_test.cc
index 918c845e153..3f8be452338 100644
--- a/test/core/gprpp/work_serializer_test.cc
+++ b/test/core/gprpp/work_serializer_test.cc
@@ -74,9 +74,11 @@ TEST(WorkSerializerTest, ExecuteOneScheduleAndDrain) {
   gpr_event done;
   gpr_event_init(&done);
   lock->Schedule(
-      [&done]() { gpr_event_set(&done, reinterpret_cast<void*>(1)); },
+      [&done]() {
+        EXPECT_EQ(gpr_event_get(&done), nullptr);
+        gpr_event_set(&done, reinterpret_cast<void*>(1));
+      },
       DEBUG_LOCATION);
-  EXPECT_EQ(gpr_event_get(&done), nullptr);
   lock->DrainQueue();
   EXPECT_TRUE(gpr_event_wait(&done, grpc_timeout_seconds_to_deadline(5)) !=
               nullptr);
@@ -288,6 +290,9 @@ TEST(WorkSerializerTest, MetricsWork) {
   auto before = global_stats().Collect();
   auto stats_diff_from = [&before](absl::AnyInvocable<void()> f) {
     f();
+    // Insert a pause for the work serialier to update the stats. Reading stats
+    // here can still race with the work serializer's update attempt.
+    gpr_sleep_until(grpc_timeout_seconds_to_deadline(1));
     auto after = global_stats().Collect();
     auto diff = after->Diff(*before);
     before = std::move(after);
diff --git a/test/core/xds/xds_client_test.cc b/test/core/xds/xds_client_test.cc
index 3f9e2bb9615..7a699bcfcb0 100644
--- a/test/core/xds/xds_client_test.cc
+++ b/test/core/xds/xds_client_test.cc
@@ -2707,6 +2707,7 @@ TEST_F(XdsClientTest, FederationChannelFailureReportedToWatchers) {
 }
 
 TEST_F(XdsClientTest, AdsReadWaitsForHandleRelease) {
+  const absl::Duration timeout = absl::Seconds(5) * grpc_test_slowdown_factor();
   InitXdsClient();
   // Start watches for "foo1" and "foo2".
   auto watcher1 = StartFooWatch("foo1");
@@ -2759,11 +2760,11 @@ TEST_F(XdsClientTest, AdsReadWaitsForHandleRelease) {
                /*version_info=*/"1", /*response_nonce=*/"A",
                /*error_detail=*/absl::OkStatus(),
                /*resource_names=*/{"foo1", "foo2"});
-  EXPECT_EQ(stream->reads_started(), 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(stream->WaitForReadsStarted(1, timeout));
   resource1->read_delay_handle.reset();
-  EXPECT_EQ(stream->reads_started(), 1);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(stream->WaitForReadsStarted(1, timeout));
   resource2->read_delay_handle.reset();
-  EXPECT_EQ(stream->reads_started(), 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(stream->WaitForReadsStarted(2, timeout));
   resource1 = watcher1->WaitForNextResourceAndHandle();
   ASSERT_NE(resource1, absl::nullopt);
   EXPECT_EQ(resource1->resource->name, "foo1");
@@ -2776,9 +2777,9 @@ TEST_F(XdsClientTest, AdsReadWaitsForHandleRelease) {
                /*version_info=*/"2", /*response_nonce=*/"B",
                /*error_detail=*/absl::OkStatus(),
                /*resource_names=*/{"foo1", "foo2"});
-  EXPECT_EQ(stream->reads_started(), 2);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(stream->WaitForReadsStarted(2, timeout));
   resource1->read_delay_handle.reset();
-  EXPECT_EQ(stream->reads_started(), 3);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(stream->WaitForReadsStarted(3, timeout));
   // Cancel watch.
   CancelFooWatch(watcher1.get(), "foo1");
   request = WaitForRequest(stream.get());
diff --git a/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.cc b/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.cc
index bc1134f08b6..1153d870151 100644
--- a/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.cc
+++ b/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.cc
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ void FakeXdsTransportFactory::FakeStreamingCall::SendMessage(
   MutexLock lock(&mu_);
   GPR_ASSERT(!orphaned_);
   from_client_messages_.push_back(std::move(payload));
-  cv_.Signal();
+  cv_client_msg_.Signal();
   if (transport_->auto_complete_messages_from_client()) {
     CompleteSendMessageFromClientLocked(/*ok=*/true);
   }
@@ -97,7 +97,8 @@ FakeXdsTransportFactory::FakeStreamingCall::WaitForMessageFromClient(
     absl::Duration timeout) {
   MutexLock lock(&mu_);
   while (from_client_messages_.empty()) {
-    if (cv_.WaitWithTimeout(&mu_, timeout * grpc_test_slowdown_factor())) {
+    if (cv_client_msg_.WaitWithTimeout(&mu_,
+                                       timeout * grpc_test_slowdown_factor())) {
       return absl::nullopt;
     }
   }
@@ -133,6 +134,7 @@ void FakeXdsTransportFactory::FakeStreamingCall::StartRecvMessage() {
   }
   ++reads_started_;
   ++num_pending_reads_;
+  cv_reads_started_.SignalAll();
   if (!to_client_messages_.empty()) {
     // Dispatch pending message (if there's one) on a separate thread to avoid
     // recursion
diff --git a/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.h b/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.h
index c9b24a536ba..a3f50caae25 100644
--- a/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.h
+++ b/test/core/xds/xds_transport_fake.h
@@ -88,9 +88,15 @@ class FakeXdsTransportFactory : public XdsTransportFactory {
 
     bool Orphaned();
 
-    size_t reads_started() {
+    bool WaitForReadsStarted(size_t expected, absl::Duration timeout) {
       MutexLock lock(&mu_);
-      return reads_started_;
+      const absl::Time deadline = absl::Now() + timeout;
+      do {
+        if (reads_started_ == expected) {
+          return true;
+        }
+      } while (!cv_reads_started_.WaitWithDeadline(&mu_, deadline));
+      return false;
     }
 
    private:
@@ -122,7 +128,8 @@ class FakeXdsTransportFactory : public XdsTransportFactory {
     const char* method_;
 
     Mutex mu_;
-    CondVar cv_;
+    CondVar cv_reads_started_;
+    CondVar cv_client_msg_;
     RefCountedPtr<RefCountedEventHandler> event_handler_ ABSL_GUARDED_BY(&mu_);
     std::deque<std::string> from_client_messages_ ABSL_GUARDED_BY(&mu_);
     bool status_sent_ ABSL_GUARDED_BY(&mu_) = false;