diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/RpcEnvSuite.scala b/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/RpcEnvSuite.scala
index 6835170ae07f5..634df4ea7bfc4 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/RpcEnvSuite.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/RpcEnvSuite.scala
@@ -546,18 +546,26 @@ abstract class RpcEnvSuite extends SparkFunSuite with BeforeAndAfterAll {
     }
   }
 
-  test("construction of RpcTimeout using properties") {
+  test("construct RpcTimeout with conf property") {
     val conf = new SparkConf
 
     val testProp = "spark.ask.test.timeout"
     val testDurationSeconds = 30
+    val secondaryProp = "spark.ask.secondary.timeout"
 
     conf.set(testProp, testDurationSeconds.toString + "s")
+    conf.set(secondaryProp, "100s")
 
-    val rt = RpcTimeout(conf, testProp)
-    assert( testDurationSeconds === rt.duration.toSeconds )
+    // Construct RpcTimeout with a single property
+    val rt1 = RpcTimeout(conf, testProp)
+    assert( testDurationSeconds === rt1.duration.toSeconds )
 
-    val ex = intercept[Throwable] {
+    // Construct RpcTimeout with prioritized list of properties
+    val rt2 = RpcTimeout(conf, Seq("spark.ask.invalid.timeout", testProp, secondaryProp), "1s")
+    assert( testDurationSeconds === rt2.duration.toSeconds )
+
+    // Try to construct RpcTimeout with an unconfigured property
+    intercept[Throwable] {
       RpcTimeout(conf, "spark.ask.invalid.timeout")
     }
   }
diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/akka/AkkaRpcEnvSuite.scala b/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/akka/AkkaRpcEnvSuite.scala
index caa069a3f37ea..a5b0f1e5aa3e6 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/akka/AkkaRpcEnvSuite.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/org/apache/spark/rpc/akka/AkkaRpcEnvSuite.scala
@@ -59,72 +59,60 @@ class AkkaRpcEnvSuite extends RpcEnvSuite {
     }
   }
 
-  test("Future failure with RpcTimeout") {
+  test("timeout on ask Future with RpcTimeout") {
 
-    class EchoActor extends Actor {
+    class EchoActor(sleepDuration: Long) extends Actor {
       def receive: Receive = {
         case msg =>
-          Thread.sleep(500)
+          Thread.sleep(sleepDuration)
           sender() ! msg
       }
     }
 
     val system = ActorSystem("EchoSystem")
-    val echoActor = system.actorOf(Props(new EchoActor), name = "echoA")
+    val echoActor = system.actorOf(Props(new EchoActor(0)), name = "echo")
+    val sleepyActor = system.actorOf(Props(new EchoActor(50)), name = "sleepy")
 
-    val timeout = new RpcTimeout(50 millis, "spark.rpc.short.timeout")
+    val shortProp = "spark.rpc.short.timeout"
+    val timeout = new RpcTimeout(10 millis, shortProp)
 
-    val fut = echoActor.ask("hello")(1000 millis).mapTo[String].recover {
-      case te: TimeoutException => throw timeout.amend(te)
-    }
+    try {
 
-    fut.onFailure {
-      case te: TimeoutException => println("failed with timeout exception")
-    }
+      // Ask with immediate response
+      var fut = echoActor.ask("hello")(timeout.duration).mapTo[String].
+        recover(timeout.addMessageIfTimeout)
 
-    fut.onComplete {
-      case Success(str) => println("future success")
-      case Failure(ex) => println("future failure")
-    }
+      // This should complete successfully
+      val result = timeout.awaitResult(fut)
 
-    println("sleeping")
-    Thread.sleep(50)
-    println("Future complete: " + fut.isCompleted.toString() + ", " + fut.value.toString())
+      assert(result.nonEmpty)
 
-    println("Caught TimeoutException: " +
-      intercept[TimeoutException] {
-        //timeout.awaitResult(fut)  // prints RpcTimeout description twice
-        Await.result(fut, 10 millis)
-      }.getMessage()
-    )
+      // Ask with delayed response
+      fut = sleepyActor.ask("goodbye")(timeout.duration).mapTo[String].
+        recover(timeout.addMessageIfTimeout)
 
-    /*
-    val ref = env.setupEndpoint("test_future", new RpcEndpoint {
-      override val rpcEnv = env
+      // Allow future to complete with failure using plain Await.result, this will return
+      // once the future is complete
+      val msg1 =
+        intercept[RpcTimeoutException] {
+          Await.result(fut, 200 millis)
+        }.getMessage()
 
-      override def receive = {
-        case _ =>
-      }
-    })
-    val conf = new SparkConf()
-    val newRpcEnv = new AkkaRpcEnvFactory().create(
-      RpcEnvConfig(conf, "test", "localhost", 12346, new SecurityManager(conf)))
-    try {
-      val newRef = newRpcEnv.setupEndpointRef("local", ref.address, "test_future")
-      val akkaActorRef = newRef.asInstanceOf[AkkaRpcEndpointRef].actorRef
+      assert(msg1.contains(shortProp))
 
-      val timeout = new RpcTimeout(1 millis, "spark.rpc.short.timeout")
-      val fut = akkaActorRef.ask("hello")(timeout.duration).mapTo[String]
+      // Use RpcTimeout.awaitResult to process Future, since it has already failed with
+      // RpcTimeoutException, the same exception should be thrown
+      val msg2 =
+        intercept[RpcTimeoutException] {
+          timeout.awaitResult(fut)
+        }.getMessage()
 
-      Thread.sleep(500)
-      println("Future complete: " + fut.isCompleted.toString() + ", " + fut.value.toString())
+      // Ensure description is not in message twice after addMessageIfTimeout and awaitResult
+      assert(shortProp.r.findAllIn(msg2).length === 1)
 
     } finally {
-      newRpcEnv.shutdown()
+      system.shutdown()
     }
-    */
-
-
   }
 
 }