diff --git a/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixCommandTest.java b/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixCommandTest.java
index dd4cdcbe8..21f0245c5 100644
--- a/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixCommandTest.java
+++ b/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixCommandTest.java
@@ -2170,23 +2170,27 @@ public void testSemaphorePermitsInUse() {
                 new TryableSemaphoreActual(HystrixProperty.Factory.asProperty(3));
 
         // used to wait until all commands have started
-        final CountDownLatch startLatch = new CountDownLatch(sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get() + 1);
+        final CountDownLatch startLatch = new CountDownLatch((sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get() * 2) + 1);
 
         // used to signal that all command can finish
         final CountDownLatch sharedLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
 
+        // tracks failures to obtain semaphores
+        final AtomicInteger failureCount = new AtomicInteger();
+
         final Runnable sharedSemaphoreRunnable = new HystrixContextRunnable(HystrixPlugins.getInstance().getConcurrencyStrategy(), new Runnable() {
             public void run() {
                 try {
                     new LatchedSemaphoreCommand(circuitBreaker, sharedSemaphore, startLatch, sharedLatch).execute();
                 } catch (Exception e) {
+                    startLatch.countDown();
                     e.printStackTrace();
+                    failureCount.incrementAndGet();
                 }
             }
         });
 
         // creates group of threads each using command sharing a single semaphore
-
         // I create extra threads and commands so that I can verify that some of them fail to obtain a semaphore
         final int sharedThreadCount = sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get() * 2;
         final Thread[] sharedSemaphoreThreads = new Thread[sharedThreadCount];
@@ -2200,14 +2204,12 @@ public void run() {
 
         final CountDownLatch isolatedLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
 
-        // tracks failures to obtain semaphores
-        final AtomicInteger failureCount = new AtomicInteger();
-
         final Thread isolatedThread = new Thread(new HystrixContextRunnable(HystrixPlugins.getInstance().getConcurrencyStrategy(), new Runnable() {
             public void run() {
                 try {
                     new LatchedSemaphoreCommand(circuitBreaker, isolatedSemaphore, startLatch, isolatedLatch).execute();
                 } catch (Exception e) {
+                    startLatch.countDown();
                     e.printStackTrace();
                     failureCount.incrementAndGet();
                 }
@@ -2215,8 +2217,8 @@ public void run() {
         }));
 
         // verifies no permits in use before starting threads
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("before threads start, shared semaphore should be unused", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("before threads start, isolated semaphore should be unused", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         for (int i = 0; i < sharedThreadCount; i++) {
             sharedSemaphoreThreads[i].start();
@@ -2231,9 +2233,9 @@ public void run() {
         }
 
         // verifies that all semaphores are in use
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore",
+        assertEquals("immediately after command start, all shared semaphores should be in-use",
                 sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore",
+        assertEquals("immediately after command start, isolated semaphore should be in-use",
                 isolatedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         // signals commands to finish
@@ -2251,12 +2253,11 @@ public void run() {
         }
 
         // verifies no permits in use after finishing threads
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("after all threads have finished, no shared semaphores should be in-use", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("after all threads have finished, isolated semaphore not in-use", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         // verifies that some executions failed
-        final int expectedFailures = sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed();
-        assertEquals("failures expected but did not happen", expectedFailures, failureCount.get());
+        assertEquals("expected some of shared semaphore commands to get rejected", sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), failureCount.get());
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixObservableCommandTest.java b/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixObservableCommandTest.java
index d6a2b6280..e0030f087 100644
--- a/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixObservableCommandTest.java
+++ b/hystrix-core/src/test/java/com/netflix/hystrix/HystrixObservableCommandTest.java
@@ -1588,17 +1588,22 @@ public void testSemaphorePermitsInUse() {
                 new TryableSemaphoreActual(HystrixProperty.Factory.asProperty(3));
 
         // used to wait until all commands have started
-        final CountDownLatch startLatch = new CountDownLatch(sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get() + 1);
+        final CountDownLatch startLatch = new CountDownLatch((sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get()) * 2 + 1);
 
         // used to signal that all command can finish
         final CountDownLatch sharedLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
 
+        // tracks failures to obtain semaphores
+        final AtomicInteger failureCount = new AtomicInteger();
+
         final Runnable sharedSemaphoreRunnable = new HystrixContextRunnable(HystrixPlugins.getInstance().getConcurrencyStrategy(), new Runnable() {
             public void run() {
                 try {
                     new LatchedSemaphoreCommand(circuitBreaker, sharedSemaphore, startLatch, sharedLatch).observe().toBlocking().single();
                 } catch (Exception e) {
+                    startLatch.countDown();
                     e.printStackTrace();
+                    failureCount.incrementAndGet();
                 }
             }
         });
@@ -1618,14 +1623,12 @@ public void run() {
 
         final CountDownLatch isolatedLatch = new CountDownLatch(1);
 
-        // tracks failures to obtain semaphores
-        final AtomicInteger failureCount = new AtomicInteger();
-
         final Thread isolatedThread = new Thread(new HystrixContextRunnable(HystrixPlugins.getInstance().getConcurrencyStrategy(), new Runnable() {
             public void run() {
                 try {
                     new LatchedSemaphoreCommand(circuitBreaker, isolatedSemaphore, startLatch, isolatedLatch).observe().toBlocking().single();
                 } catch (Exception e) {
+                    startLatch.countDown();
                     e.printStackTrace();
                     failureCount.incrementAndGet();
                 }
@@ -1633,8 +1636,8 @@ public void run() {
         }));
 
         // verifies no permits in use before starting threads
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("before threads start, shared semaphore should be unused", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("before threads start, isolated semaphore should be unused", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         for (int i = 0; i < sharedThreadCount; i++) {
             sharedSemaphoreThreads[i].start();
@@ -1649,9 +1652,9 @@ public void run() {
         }
 
         // verifies that all semaphores are in use
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore",
+        assertEquals("immediately after command start, all shared semaphores should be in-use",
                 sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore",
+        assertEquals("immediately after command start, isolated semaphore should be in-use",
                 isolatedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         // signals commands to finish
@@ -1669,12 +1672,11 @@ public void run() {
         }
 
         // verifies no permits in use after finishing threads
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for shared semaphore", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
-        assertEquals("wrong number of permits for isolated semaphore", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("after all threads have finished, no shared semaphores should be in-use", 0, sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
+        assertEquals("after all threads have finished, isolated semaphore not in-use", 0, isolatedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed());
 
         // verifies that some executions failed
-        final int expectedFailures = sharedSemaphore.getNumberOfPermitsUsed();
-        assertEquals("failures expected but did not happen", expectedFailures, failureCount.get());
+        assertEquals("expected some of shared semaphore commands to get rejected", sharedSemaphore.numberOfPermits.get().longValue(), failureCount.get());
     }
 
     /**