diff --git a/bin/tests/system/catz/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/catz/tests.sh
index d08e2b415a..c443b739ff 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/catz/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/catz/tests.sh
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ echo_i "wait for secondary to be updated again ($n)"
 ret=0
 wait_for_txt() {
 	dig_with_opts @10.53.0.2 TXT foo.dom1.example. > dig.out.test$n || return 1
-	grep "ANSWER: 1," dig.out.test$n > /dev/null || return 1
+	grep "ANSWER: 2," dig.out.test$n > /dev/null || return 1
 	grep "status: NOERROR" dig.out.test$n > /dev/null || return 1
 	grep "IN.TXT." dig.out.test$n > /dev/null || return 1
 }
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/cds/checktime.pl b/bin/tests/system/cds/checktime.pl
index 692b840adc..aa742106ba 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/cds/checktime.pl
+++ b/bin/tests/system/cds/checktime.pl
@@ -22,4 +22,4 @@ while (<>) {
 die "missing notbefore time" unless $notbefore;
 die "missing inception time" unless $inception;
 my $delta = $inception - $notbefore;
-die "bad inception time $delta" unless abs($delta - $target) < 3;
+die "bad inception time $delta" unless abs($delta - $target) <= 3;
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/digdelv/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/digdelv/tests.sh
index d57744d1ec..22933c7f9d 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/digdelv/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/digdelv/tests.sh
@@ -1076,7 +1076,7 @@ if [ -x "$MDIG" ] ; then
     n=$((n+1))
     echo_i "check mdig +yaml output ($n)"
     ret=0
-    mdig_with_opts +yaml @10.53.0.3 -t any ns2.example > dig.out.test$n 2>&1 || ret=1
+    mdig_with_opts +yaml @10.53.0.3 -t any ns2.example > dig.out.test$n || ret=1
     value=$($PYTHON yamlget.py dig.out.test$n 0 message response_message_data status || ret=1)
     [ "$value" = "NOERROR" ] || ret=1
     value=$($PYTHON yamlget.py dig.out.test$n 0 message response_message_data QUESTION_SECTION 0 || ret=1)
@@ -1326,7 +1326,7 @@ if [ -x "$DELV" ] ; then
     n=$((n+1))
     echo_i "check delv +yaml output ($n)"
     ret=0
-    delv_with_opts +yaml @10.53.0.3 any ns2.example > delv.out.test$n 2>&1 || ret=1
+    delv_with_opts +yaml @10.53.0.3 any ns2.example > delv.out.test$n || ret=1
     value=$($PYTHON yamlget.py delv.out.test$n status || ret=1)
     [ "$value" = "success" ] || ret=1
     value=$($PYTHON yamlget.py delv.out.test$n query_name || ret=1)
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/statistics/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/statistics/tests.sh
index 5091d12052..710236a520 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/statistics/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/statistics/tests.sh
@@ -91,7 +91,11 @@ $DIGCMD +tries=2 +time=1 +recurse @10.53.0.3 foo.info. any > /dev/null 2>&1
 
 ret=0
 echo_i "dumping updated stats for ns3 ($n)"
-rndc_stats ns3 10.53.0.3 || ret=1
+getstats() {
+    rndc_stats ns3 10.53.0.3 || return 1
+    grep "2 recursing clients" $last_stats > /dev/null || return 1
+}
+retry_quiet 5 getstats || ret=1
 if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
 status=`expr $status + $ret`
 n=`expr $n + 1`
@@ -137,6 +141,13 @@ if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
 status=`expr $status + $ret`
 n=`expr $n + 1`
 
+ret=0
+echo_i "checking priming queries are counted ($n)"
+grep "priming queries" $last_stats > /dev/null || ret=1
+if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
+status=`expr $status + $ret`
+n=`expr $n + 1`
+
 ret=0
 echo_i "checking that zones with slash are properly shown in XML output ($n)"
 if $FEATURETEST --have-libxml2 && [ -x ${CURL} ] ; then
@@ -239,13 +250,6 @@ if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
 status=`expr $status + $ret`
 n=`expr $n + 1`
 
-ret=0
-echo_i "checking priming queries are counted ($n)"
-grep "1 priming queries" $last_stats
-if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
-status=`expr $status + $ret`
-n=`expr $n + 1`
-
 echo_i "Check that 'zone-statistics full;' is processed by 'rndc reconfig' ($n)"
 ret=0
 # off by default