diff --git a/les/handler_test.go b/les/handler_test.go
index 31aad3ed45..76d575e63d 100644
--- a/les/handler_test.go
+++ b/les/handler_test.go
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ func TestGetBlockHeadersLes1(t *testing.T) { testGetBlockHeaders(t, 1) }
 func TestGetBlockHeadersLes2(t *testing.T) { testGetBlockHeaders(t, 2) }
 
 func testGetBlockHeaders(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, downloader.MaxHashFetch+15, nil, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, downloader.MaxHashFetch+15, 0, nil, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func TestGetBlockBodiesLes1(t *testing.T) { testGetBlockBodies(t, 1) }
 func TestGetBlockBodiesLes2(t *testing.T) { testGetBlockBodies(t, 2) }
 
 func testGetBlockBodies(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, downloader.MaxBlockFetch+15, nil, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, downloader.MaxBlockFetch+15, 0, nil, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ func TestGetCodeLes2(t *testing.T) { testGetCode(t, 2) }
 
 func testGetCode(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 	// Assemble the test environment
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, testChainGen, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, 0, testChainGen, nil, nil, ethdb.NewMemDatabase())
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func TestGetReceiptLes2(t *testing.T) { testGetReceipt(t, 2) }
 func testGetReceipt(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 	// Assemble the test environment
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, 0, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ func TestGetProofsLes2(t *testing.T) { testGetProofs(t, 2) }
 func testGetProofs(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 	// Assemble the test environment
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, 0, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
@@ -382,15 +382,11 @@ func testGetCHTProofs(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 	}
 	// Assemble the test environment
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, int(frequency)+light.HelperTrieProcessConfirmations, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, int(frequency)+light.HelperTrieProcessConfirmations, 1, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", protocol, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
 
-	// Wait a while for the CHT indexer to process the new headers
-	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond * time.Duration(frequency/light.CHTFrequencyServer)) // Chain indexer throttling
-	time.Sleep(250 * time.Millisecond)                                                     // CI tester slack
-
 	// Assemble the proofs from the different protocols
 	header := bc.GetHeaderByNumber(frequency)
 	rlp, _ := rlp.EncodeToBytes(header)
@@ -450,15 +446,11 @@ func testGetCHTProofs(t *testing.T, protocol int) {
 func TestGetBloombitsProofs(t *testing.T) {
 	// Assemble the test environment
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, light.BloomTrieFrequency+256, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, light.BloomTrieFrequency+256, 1, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
 	bc := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	peer, _ := newTestPeer(t, "peer", 2, pm, true)
 	defer peer.close()
 
-	// Wait a while for the bloombits indexer to process the new headers
-	time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond * time.Duration(light.BloomTrieFrequency/4096)) // Chain indexer throttling
-	time.Sleep(250 * time.Millisecond)                                                // CI tester slack
-
 	// Request and verify each bit of the bloom bits proofs
 	for bit := 0; bit < 2048; bit++ {
 		// Assemble therequest and proofs for the bloombits
@@ -489,7 +481,7 @@ func TestGetBloombitsProofs(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestTransactionStatusLes2(t *testing.T) {
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 0, nil, nil, nil, db)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 0, 0, nil, nil, nil, db)
 	chain := pm.blockchain.(*core.BlockChain)
 	config := core.DefaultTxPoolConfig
 	config.Journal = ""
diff --git a/les/helper_test.go b/les/helper_test.go
index 5ab8128ac0..8af3f78a38 100644
--- a/les/helper_test.go
+++ b/les/helper_test.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"math/big"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common/mclock"
@@ -137,7 +138,7 @@ func testRCL() RequestCostList {
 // newTestProtocolManager creates a new protocol manager for testing purposes,
 // with the given number of blocks already known, and potential notification
 // channels for different events.
-func newTestProtocolManager(lightSync bool, blocks int, generator func(int, *core.BlockGen), peers *peerSet, odr *LesOdr, db ethdb.Database) (*ProtocolManager, error) {
+func newTestProtocolManager(lightSync bool, blocks int, processSections uint64, generator func(int, *core.BlockGen), peers *peerSet, odr *LesOdr, db ethdb.Database) (*ProtocolManager, error) {
 	var (
 		evmux  = new(event.TypeMux)
 		engine = ethash.NewFaker()
@@ -170,6 +171,18 @@ func newTestProtocolManager(lightSync bool, blocks int, generator func(int, *cor
 		if _, err := blockchain.InsertChain(gchain); err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
+
+		if processSections > 0 {
+			for {
+				cs, _, _ := chtIndexer.Sections()
+				bs, _, _ := bloomIndexer.Sections()
+				if cs >= processSections && bs >= processSections {
+					break
+				}
+				time.Sleep(time.Millisecond * 10)
+			}
+		}
+
 		chain = blockchain
 	}
 
@@ -204,8 +217,8 @@ func newTestProtocolManager(lightSync bool, blocks int, generator func(int, *cor
 // with the given number of blocks already known, and potential notification
 // channels for different events. In case of an error, the constructor force-
 // fails the test.
-func newTestProtocolManagerMust(t *testing.T, lightSync bool, blocks int, generator func(int, *core.BlockGen), peers *peerSet, odr *LesOdr, db ethdb.Database) *ProtocolManager {
-	pm, err := newTestProtocolManager(lightSync, blocks, generator, peers, odr, db)
+func newTestProtocolManagerMust(t *testing.T, lightSync bool, blocks int, processSections uint64, generator func(int, *core.BlockGen), peers *peerSet, odr *LesOdr, db ethdb.Database) *ProtocolManager {
+	pm, err := newTestProtocolManager(lightSync, blocks, processSections, generator, peers, odr, db)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Failed to create protocol manager: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/les/odr_test.go b/les/odr_test.go
index bac143c978..dba9ee1f03 100644
--- a/les/odr_test.go
+++ b/les/odr_test.go
@@ -169,8 +169,8 @@ func testOdr(t *testing.T, protocol int, expFail uint64, fn odrTestFn) {
 	db := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
 	ldb := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
 	odr := NewLesOdr(ldb, light.NewChtIndexer(db, true), light.NewBloomTrieIndexer(db, true), eth.NewBloomIndexer(db, light.BloomTrieFrequency), rm)
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
-	lpm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, true, 0, nil, peers, odr, ldb)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, 0, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	lpm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, true, 0, 0, nil, peers, odr, ldb)
 	_, err1, lpeer, err2 := newTestPeerPair("peer", protocol, pm, lpm)
 	select {
 	case <-time.After(time.Millisecond * 100):
diff --git a/les/request_test.go b/les/request_test.go
index 30fff2b0ea..9caa633056 100644
--- a/les/request_test.go
+++ b/les/request_test.go
@@ -92,8 +92,8 @@ func testAccess(t *testing.T, protocol int, fn accessTestFn) {
 	ldb := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
 	odr := NewLesOdr(ldb, light.NewChtIndexer(db, true), light.NewBloomTrieIndexer(db, true), eth.NewBloomIndexer(db, light.BloomTrieFrequency), rm)
 
-	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
-	lpm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, true, 0, nil, peers, odr, ldb)
+	pm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, false, 4, 0, testChainGen, nil, nil, db)
+	lpm := newTestProtocolManagerMust(t, true, 0, 0, nil, peers, odr, ldb)
 	_, err1, lpeer, err2 := newTestPeerPair("peer", protocol, pm, lpm)
 	select {
 	case <-time.After(time.Millisecond * 100):