diff --git a/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/integration/classloading/ClassLoadingTest.groovy b/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/integration/classloading/ClassLoadingTest.groovy
index bfb04736f8..46b03e77f1 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/integration/classloading/ClassLoadingTest.groovy
+++ b/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/integration/classloading/ClassLoadingTest.groovy
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class ClassLoadingTest extends Specification {
     loader.loadClass(ClassToInstrument.getName())
     loader = null
 
-    IntegrationTestUtils.awaitGC()
+    IntegrationTestUtils.awaitGC(ref)
 
     then:
     null == ref.get()
diff --git a/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/IntegrationTestUtils.java b/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/IntegrationTestUtils.java
index 34dcaa8b42..e7d83385a7 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/IntegrationTestUtils.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent-ittests/src/test/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/IntegrationTestUtils.java
@@ -159,12 +159,16 @@ public class IntegrationTestUtils {
   }
 
   public static void awaitGC() {
-    System.gc(); // For good measure.
     Object obj = new Object();
-    final WeakReference ref = new WeakReference<>(obj);
+    final WeakReference<Object> ref = new WeakReference<>(obj);
     obj = null;
+    awaitGC(ref);
+  }
+
+  public static void awaitGC(final WeakReference<?> ref) {
     while (ref.get() != null) {
       System.gc();
+      System.runFinalization();
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/agent-tooling/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/tooling/WeakConcurrentSupplierTest.groovy b/dd-java-agent/agent-tooling/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/tooling/WeakConcurrentSupplierTest.groovy
index a8245c5570..a79002b492 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/agent-tooling/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/tooling/WeakConcurrentSupplierTest.groovy
+++ b/dd-java-agent/agent-tooling/src/test/groovy/datadog/trace/agent/tooling/WeakConcurrentSupplierTest.groovy
@@ -45,8 +45,9 @@ class WeakConcurrentSupplierTest extends Specification {
     def ref = new WeakReference(map)
 
     when:
+    def mapRef = new WeakReference<>(map)
     map = null
-    TestUtils.awaitGC()
+    TestUtils.awaitGC(mapRef)
 
     then:
     ref.get() == null
@@ -68,8 +69,9 @@ class WeakConcurrentSupplierTest extends Specification {
     map.size() == 1
 
     when:
+    def keyRef = new WeakReference<>(key)
     key = null
-    TestUtils.awaitGC()
+    TestUtils.awaitGC(keyRef)
 
     if (name == "WeakConcurrent") {
       // Sleep enough time for cleanup thread to get scheduled.
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/testing/src/main/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/TestUtils.java b/dd-java-agent/testing/src/main/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/TestUtils.java
index 70ba64bad0..af8be1dabe 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/testing/src/main/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/TestUtils.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/testing/src/main/java/datadog/trace/agent/test/TestUtils.java
@@ -208,8 +208,12 @@ public class TestUtils {
 
   public static void awaitGC() {
     Object obj = new Object();
-    final WeakReference ref = new WeakReference<>(obj);
+    final WeakReference<Object> ref = new WeakReference<>(obj);
     obj = null;
+    awaitGC(ref);
+  }
+
+  public static void awaitGC(final WeakReference<?> ref) {
     while (ref.get() != null) {
       System.gc();
       System.runFinalization();
diff --git a/dd-java-agent/testing/src/test/java/muzzle/MuzzleWeakReferenceTest.java b/dd-java-agent/testing/src/test/java/muzzle/MuzzleWeakReferenceTest.java
index 2fe00dfa31..9b3af88423 100644
--- a/dd-java-agent/testing/src/test/java/muzzle/MuzzleWeakReferenceTest.java
+++ b/dd-java-agent/testing/src/test/java/muzzle/MuzzleWeakReferenceTest.java
@@ -16,17 +16,17 @@ public class MuzzleWeakReferenceTest {
    */
   public static boolean classLoaderRefIsGarbageCollected() {
     ClassLoader loader = new URLClassLoader(new URL[0], null);
-    WeakReference<ClassLoader> clRef = new WeakReference<>(loader);
-    Reference[] refs =
+    final WeakReference<ClassLoader> clRef = new WeakReference<>(loader);
+    final Reference[] refs =
         ReferenceCreator.createReferencesFrom(
                 TestClasses.MethodBodyAdvice.class.getName(),
                 MuzzleWeakReferenceTest.class.getClassLoader())
             .values()
             .toArray(new Reference[0]);
-    ReferenceMatcher refMatcher = new ReferenceMatcher(refs);
+    final ReferenceMatcher refMatcher = new ReferenceMatcher(refs);
     refMatcher.getMismatchedReferenceSources(loader);
     loader = null;
-    TestUtils.awaitGC();
+    TestUtils.awaitGC(clRef);
     return clRef.get() == null;
   }
 }
diff --git a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/PendingTraceTest.groovy b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/PendingTraceTest.groovy
index 5e3de902a0..9104ab8335 100644
--- a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/PendingTraceTest.groovy
+++ b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/PendingTraceTest.groovy
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import datadog.trace.common.writer.ListWriter
 import spock.lang.Specification
 import spock.lang.Subject
 
+import java.lang.ref.WeakReference
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit
 
 class PendingTraceTest extends Specification {
@@ -105,9 +106,10 @@ class PendingTraceTest extends Specification {
     writer == []
 
     when:
+    def childRef = new WeakReference<>(child)
     child = null
-    while (!trace.clean()) {
-      TestUtils.awaitGC()
+    TestUtils.awaitGC(childRef)
+    while (trace.clean()) {
     }
 
     then:
diff --git a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/scopemanager/ScopeManagerTest.groovy b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/scopemanager/ScopeManagerTest.groovy
index 170aee79ce..09b7f7a8e3 100644
--- a/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/scopemanager/ScopeManagerTest.groovy
+++ b/dd-trace-ot/src/test/groovy/datadog/opentracing/scopemanager/ScopeManagerTest.groovy
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import io.opentracing.noop.NoopSpan
 import spock.lang.Specification
 import spock.lang.Subject
 
+import java.lang.ref.WeakReference
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference
 
@@ -149,8 +150,9 @@ class ScopeManagerTest extends Specification {
     continuation.activate()
     if (forceGC) {
       continuation = null // Continuation references also hold up traces.
-      TestUtils.awaitGC()
-      ((DDSpanContext) scope.span().context()).trace.clean()
+      TestUtils.awaitGC() // The goal here is to make sure that continuation DOES NOT get GCed
+      while (((DDSpanContext) scope.span().context()).trace.clean()) {
+      }
     }
     if (autoClose) {
       if (continuation != null) {
@@ -194,10 +196,9 @@ class ScopeManagerTest extends Specification {
 
     when:
     if (forceGC) {
+      def continuationRef = new WeakReference<>(continuation)
       continuation = null // Continuation references also hold up traces.
-      while (!((DDSpanContext) span.context()).trace.clean()) {
-        TestUtils.awaitGC()
-      }
+      TestUtils.awaitGC(continuationRef)
       writer.waitForTraces(1)
     }
     if (autoClose) {