diff --git a/accounts/keystore/account_cache_test.go b/accounts/keystore/account_cache_test.go
index 3847e9daf..371d27444 100644
--- a/accounts/keystore/account_cache_test.go
+++ b/accounts/keystore/account_cache_test.go
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ func waitWatcherStart(ks *KeyStore) bool {
 
 func waitForAccounts(wantAccounts []accounts.Account, ks *KeyStore) error {
 	var list []accounts.Account
-	for t0 := time.Now(); time.Since(t0) < 5*time.Second; time.Sleep(200 * time.Millisecond) {
+	for t0 := time.Now(); time.Since(t0) < 5*time.Second; time.Sleep(100 * time.Millisecond) {
 		list = ks.Accounts()
 		if reflect.DeepEqual(list, wantAccounts) {
 			// ks should have also received change notifications
@@ -350,7 +350,7 @@ func TestUpdatedKeyfileContents(t *testing.T) {
 		return
 	}
 	// needed so that modTime of `file` is different to its current value after forceCopyFile
-	time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	os.Chtimes(file, time.Now().Add(-time.Second), time.Now().Add(-time.Second))
 
 	// Now replace file contents
 	if err := forceCopyFile(file, cachetestAccounts[1].URL.Path); err != nil {
@@ -366,7 +366,7 @@ func TestUpdatedKeyfileContents(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// needed so that modTime of `file` is different to its current value after forceCopyFile
-	time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	os.Chtimes(file, time.Now().Add(-time.Second), time.Now().Add(-time.Second))
 
 	// Now replace file contents again
 	if err := forceCopyFile(file, cachetestAccounts[2].URL.Path); err != nil {
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ func TestUpdatedKeyfileContents(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// needed so that modTime of `file` is different to its current value after os.WriteFile
-	time.Sleep(time.Second)
+	os.Chtimes(file, time.Now().Add(-time.Second), time.Now().Add(-time.Second))
 
 	// Now replace file contents with crap
 	if err := os.WriteFile(file, []byte("foo"), 0600); err != nil {
diff --git a/core/forkid/forkid_test.go b/core/forkid/forkid_test.go
index db634bc14..e311c0b43 100644
--- a/core/forkid/forkid_test.go
+++ b/core/forkid/forkid_test.go
@@ -366,8 +366,9 @@ func TestValidation(t *testing.T) {
 		// TODO(karalabe): Enable this when Cancun is specced
 		//{params.MainnetChainConfig, 20999999, 1677999999, ID{Hash: checksumToBytes(0x71147644), Next: 1678000000}, ErrLocalIncompatibleOrStale},
 	}
+	genesis := core.DefaultGenesisBlock().ToBlock()
 	for i, tt := range tests {
-		filter := newFilter(tt.config, core.DefaultGenesisBlock().ToBlock(), func() (uint64, uint64) { return tt.head, tt.time })
+		filter := newFilter(tt.config, genesis, func() (uint64, uint64) { return tt.head, tt.time })
 		if err := filter(tt.id); err != tt.err {
 			t.Errorf("test %d: validation error mismatch: have %v, want %v", i, err, tt.err)
 		}
diff --git a/core/state/statedb_test.go b/core/state/statedb_test.go
index ad829a0c8..df1cd5547 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb_test.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb_test.go
@@ -426,10 +426,12 @@ func (test *snapshotTest) run() bool {
 		state, _     = New(types.EmptyRootHash, NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()), nil)
 		snapshotRevs = make([]int, len(test.snapshots))
 		sindex       = 0
+		checkstates  = make([]*StateDB, len(test.snapshots))
 	)
 	for i, action := range test.actions {
 		if len(test.snapshots) > sindex && i == test.snapshots[sindex] {
 			snapshotRevs[sindex] = state.Snapshot()
+			checkstates[sindex] = state.Copy()
 			sindex++
 		}
 		action.fn(action, state)
@@ -437,12 +439,8 @@ func (test *snapshotTest) run() bool {
 	// Revert all snapshots in reverse order. Each revert must yield a state
 	// that is equivalent to fresh state with all actions up the snapshot applied.
 	for sindex--; sindex >= 0; sindex-- {
-		checkstate, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, state.Database(), nil)
-		for _, action := range test.actions[:test.snapshots[sindex]] {
-			action.fn(action, checkstate)
-		}
 		state.RevertToSnapshot(snapshotRevs[sindex])
-		if err := test.checkEqual(state, checkstate); err != nil {
+		if err := test.checkEqual(state, checkstates[sindex]); err != nil {
 			test.err = fmt.Errorf("state mismatch after revert to snapshot %d\n%v", sindex, err)
 			return false
 		}
diff --git a/rpc/client_test.go b/rpc/client_test.go
index 7c96b2d66..ac02ad33c 100644
--- a/rpc/client_test.go
+++ b/rpc/client_test.go
@@ -595,7 +595,7 @@ func TestClientSubscriptionChannelClose(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
 		ch := make(chan int, 100)
-		sub, err := client.Subscribe(context.Background(), "nftest", ch, "someSubscription", maxClientSubscriptionBuffer-1, 1)
+		sub, err := client.Subscribe(context.Background(), "nftest", ch, "someSubscription", 100, 1)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}
diff --git a/trie/sync_test.go b/trie/sync_test.go
index 7032c6d2f..5edfb32a3 100644
--- a/trie/sync_test.go
+++ b/trie/sync_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ package trie
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -587,6 +588,10 @@ func testIncompleteSync(t *testing.T, scheme string) {
 	}
 	// Sanity check that removing any node from the database is detected
 	for i, path := range addedKeys {
+		if rand.Int31n(100) > 5 {
+			// Only check 5 percent of added keys as a sanity check
+			continue
+		}
 		owner, inner := ResolvePath([]byte(path))
 		nodeHash := addedHashes[i]
 		value := rawdb.ReadTrieNode(diskdb, owner, inner, nodeHash, scheme)