diff --git a/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py b/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
index 9e283509696..a3ac798ab87 100644
--- a/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
+++ b/robottelo/host_helpers/capsule_mixins.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 from datetime import datetime
 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
@@ -67,19 +69,31 @@ 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)
+        start_time = start_time.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
-        )
+        active_sync = False
+        if not sync_status['last_sync_time']:
+            # if last sync is None, we must have some in-progress sync task started
+            assert len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks'])
+            active_sync = True
+        else:
+            try:
+                # assert the last sync started at or after the start_time
+                assert parse(sync_status['last_sync_time']) >= parse(start_time)
+            except AssertionError:
+                # time of last sync was older than start_time, assert an active sync
+                assert len(sync_status['active_sync_tasks'])
+                active_sync = True
 
         # 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)
         sync_status = self.nailgun_capsule.content_get_sync()
+        # after any in-progress sync task(s) finished, the most recent sync was at or after the start_time
+        if active_sync:
+            assert parse(sync_status['last_sync_time']) >= parse(start_time)
         assert len(sync_status['last_failed_sync_tasks']) == 0
 
     def get_published_repo_url(self, org, prod, repo, lce=None, cv=None):