diff --git a/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py b/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
index 9e283509696..e3fc4b3cf7c 100644
--- a/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
+++ b/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import (
+    datetime,
+    timedelta,
+)
 import time
 
+from dateutil.parser import parse
+
 from robottelo.constants import PUPPET_CAPSULE_INSTALLER, PUPPET_COMMON_INSTALLER_OPTS
 from robottelo.logging import logger
 from robottelo.utils.installer import InstallerCommand
@@ -67,20 +72,51 @@ def wait_for_sync(self, timeout=600, start_time=None):
         # is started (or finished already)
         if start_time is None:
             start_time = datetime.utcnow().replace(microsecond=0)
+        # 1s margin of safety for rounding
+        start_time = (start_time - timedelta(seconds=1)).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S UTC')
         logger.info(f"Waiting for capsule {self.hostname} sync to finish ...")
         sync_status = self.nailgun_capsule.content_get_sync()
         logger.info(f"Active tasks {sync_status['active_sync_tasks']}")
-        assert (
-            len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks'])
-            or datetime.strptime(sync_status['last_sync_time'], '%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S UTC')
-            >= start_time
-        )
+        ongoing_sync = True if sync_status['active_sync_tasks'] else False
+
+        if not sync_status['last_sync_time']:  # never synced
+            # we expect some in-progress sync task(s) ongoing
+            assert len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks']) > 0, (
+                f'last_sync_time for capsule {self.hostname} was None (never),'
+                ' expected one or more ongoing sync task(s), but found none.'
+            )
+        else:
+            if parse(sync_status['last_sync_time']) >= parse(start_time):
+                # last sync time was at or after start_time
+                pass
+            else:
+                # last sync is prior to start_time, expect some ongoing sync task(s)
+                assert len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks']) > 0, (
+                    f'last_sync_time: ({sync_status["last_sync_time"]}), for capsule {self.hostname},'
+                    f' was older than start_time: {start_time}.'
+                    ' Expected one or more ongoing sync task(s), but found none.'
+                )
 
         # Wait till capsule sync finishes and assert the sync task succeeded
         for task in sync_status['active_sync_tasks']:
             self.satellite.api.ForemanTask(id=task['id']).poll(timeout=timeout)
+        # after any in-progress sync task(s) finished, get updated sync_status
         sync_status = self.nailgun_capsule.content_get_sync()
-        assert len(sync_status['last_failed_sync_tasks']) == 0
+        if ongoing_sync:
+            # with the ongoing task(s) finished, find that last sync was at or after start_time
+            assert parse(sync_status['last_sync_time']) >= parse(start_time), (
+                f'After polling finished in-progress sync task(s), for capsule {self.hostname},'
+                f' last_sync_time: {sync_status["last_sync_time"]}, was not on or after start_time: {start_time}.'
+            )
+            # after finishing task(s), updated status shows no active tasks
+            assert (
+                len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks']) == 0
+            ), f'Expected no active sync task(s) remaining for capsule {self.hostname}'
+        # no failed tasks
+        assert len(sync_status['last_failed_sync_tasks']) == 0, (
+            f'One or more sync tasks have failed for capsule {self.hostname},'
+            f' {sync_status["last_failed_sync_tasks"]}'
+        )
 
     def get_published_repo_url(self, org, prod, repo, lce=None, cv=None):
         """Forms url of a repo or CV published on a Satellite or Capsule.