diff --git a/ouroboros-consensus/test/consensus-test/Test/Consensus/MiniProtocol/ChainSync/Client.hs b/ouroboros-consensus/test/consensus-test/Test/Consensus/MiniProtocol/ChainSync/Client.hs
index 11a5c1b973..d71ba2e4c3 100644
--- a/ouroboros-consensus/test/consensus-test/Test/Consensus/MiniProtocol/ChainSync/Client.hs
+++ b/ouroboros-consensus/test/consensus-test/Test/Consensus/MiniProtocol/ChainSync/Client.hs
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
     (ServerUpdates serverUpdates) (InvalidBlocks invalidBlocks)
     startSyncingAt = withRegistry $ \registry -> do
 
-    systemTime <- do
+    clientSystemTime <- do
         initialIoSimClockValue <- getCurrentTime
         pure SystemTime {
             systemTimeWait    = pure ()
@@ -329,7 +329,7 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
                   -
                     unClockSkew skew
           }
-    let _ = systemTime :: SystemTime m
+    let _ = clientSystemTime :: SystemTime m
 
     varCurrentLogicalTick <- uncheckedNewTVarM (Tick 0)
     let clockUpdates :: Schedule NewMaxSlot
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
           (tracer', getTrace) <- recordingTracerTVar
           let pairWithNow ev = do
                 logicalNow <- readTVarIO varCurrentLogicalTick
-                now        <- systemTimeCurrent systemTime
+                now        <- systemTimeCurrent clientSystemTime
                 pure (logicalNow, now, ev)
           pure (contramapM pairWithNow tracer', getTrace)
     let chainSyncTracer = contramap Left  tracer
@@ -388,7 +388,7 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
           }
 
         inFutureCheck :: InFutureCheck.HeaderInFutureCheck m TestBlock
-        inFutureCheck = InFutureCheck.realHeaderInFutureCheck skew systemTime
+        inFutureCheck = InFutureCheck.realHeaderInFutureCheck skew clientSystemTime
           -- Note that this tests passes in the exact difference between the
           -- client's and server's clock as the tolerable clock skew.
 
@@ -422,7 +422,7 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
 
                       NewMaxClientAndServerSlot cslot sslot ->
                         toOnset cslot `max` toSkewedOnset sslot
-                now <- systemTimeCurrent systemTime
+                now <- systemTimeCurrent clientSystemTime
                 threadDelay $ nominalDelay $ target `diffRelTime` now
 
               _ -> error "impossible! bad mkClockUpdates"
@@ -496,11 +496,9 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
     -- mishandled a block from the future.
     let checkTipTime :: m ()
         checkTipTime = do
-            (now, candidates) <- do
-              now        <- systemTimeCurrent systemTime
-              candidates <-
-                atomically $ readTVar varCandidates >>= traverse readTVar
-              pure (now, candidates)
+            now        <- systemTimeCurrent clientSystemTime
+            candidates <- atomically $
+              readTVar varCandidates >>= traverse readTVar
             forM_ candidates $ \candidate -> do
               let p = castPoint $ AF.headPoint candidate :: Point TestBlock
               case pointSlot p of
@@ -556,12 +554,6 @@ runChainSync skew securityParam (ClientUpdates clientUpdates)
   where
     k = maxRollbacks securityParam
 
-    toOnset :: SlotNo -> RelativeTime
-    toOnset slot = RelativeTime $
-        scaleNominalDelay
-          (getSlotLength slotLength)
-          (unSlotNo slot)
-
     toSkewedOnset :: SlotNo -> RelativeTime
     toSkewedOnset slot =
       let RelativeTime onset = toOnset slot
@@ -698,6 +690,13 @@ slotLengthInSeconds = 10
 scaleNominalDelay :: Integral a => NominalDiffTime -> a -> NominalDiffTime
 scaleNominalDelay dur i = dur * fromIntegral i
 
+-- | The onset of the slot
+toOnset :: SlotNo -> RelativeTime
+toOnset slot = RelativeTime $
+    scaleNominalDelay
+      (getSlotLength slotLength)
+      (unSlotNo slot)
+
 -- | Bundle dependent arguments for test generation
 data ChainSyncClientSetup = ChainSyncClientSetup
   { securityParam :: SecurityParam
@@ -935,7 +934,7 @@ ppBlocks :: Point TestBlock -> [TestBlock] -> String
 ppBlocks a bs = ppPoint a <> " ] " <> intercalate " :> " (map ppBlock bs)
 
 ppTraceEvent :: TraceEvent -> String
-ppTraceEvent (Tick n, m, ev) = show (n, m) <> " | " <> case ev of
+ppTraceEvent (Tick n, RelativeTime t, ev) = show (n, t) <> " | " <> case ev of
     Left  cl -> "Client: "   <> show cl
     Right pt -> "Protocol: " <> show pt
 
@@ -984,10 +983,7 @@ tickArrivalTimeStats events =
 tickArrivalTimes :: [TraceEvent] -> TickArrivalTimeStats (Set.Set Tick)
 tickArrivalTimes = foldMap $ \case
     (n, now, Left (TraceDownloadedHeader hdr)) ->
-      let onset = RelativeTime $
-            scaleNominalDelay
-              (getSlotLength slotLength)
-              (unSlotNo (blockSlot hdr))
+      let onset    = toOnset (blockSlot hdr)
           thisTick = Set.singleton n
       in
       if now < onset