diff --git a/lib/tests/behat/behat_general.php b/lib/tests/behat/behat_general.php
index b4e446508ca..6c52a44c4b2 100644
--- a/lib/tests/behat/behat_general.php
+++ b/lib/tests/behat/behat_general.php
@@ -63,6 +63,12 @@ class behat_general extends behat_base {
      */
     const PAGE_LOAD_DETECTION_STRING = 'new_page_not_loaded_since_behat_started_watching';
 
+    /**
+     * @var $pageloaddetectionrunning boolean Used to ensure that page load detection was started before a page reload
+     * was checked for.
+     */
+    private $pageloaddetectionrunning = false;
+
     /**
      * Opens Moodle homepage.
      *
@@ -1240,13 +1246,18 @@ class behat_general extends behat_base {
             throw new DriverException('Page load detection requires JavaScript.');
         }
 
-        if ($this->getSession()->getPage()->find('xpath', $this->get_page_load_xpath())) {
+        $session = $this->getSession();
+
+        if ($this->pageloaddetectionrunning || $session->getPage()->find('xpath', $this->get_page_load_xpath())) {
             // If we find this node at this point we are already watching for a reload and the behat steps
             // are out of order. We will treat this as an error - really it needs to be fixed as it indicates a problem.
-            throw new ExpectationException('Page load expectation error: page reloads are already been watched for.');
+            throw new ExpectationException(
+                'Page load expectation error: page reloads are already been watched for.', $session);
         }
 
-        $this->getSession()->evaluateScript(
+        $this->pageloaddetectionrunning = true;
+
+        $session->evaluateScript(
                 'var span = document.createElement("span");
                 span.setAttribute("data-rel", "' . self::PAGE_LOAD_DETECTION_STRING . '");
                 span.setAttribute("style", "display: none;");
@@ -1260,15 +1271,24 @@ class behat_general extends behat_base {
      * @Given /^a new page should have loaded since I started watching$/
      */
     public function a_new_page_should_have_loaded_since_i_started_watching() {
+        $session = $this->getSession();
+
+        // Make sure page load tracking was started.
+        if (!$this->pageloaddetectionrunning) {
+            throw new ExpectationException(
+                'Page load expectation error: page load tracking was not started.', $session);
+        }
+
         // As the node is inserted by code above it is either there or not, and we do not need spin and it is safe
         // to use the native API here which is great as exception handling (the alternative is slow).
-        if ($this->getSession()->getPage()->find('xpath', $this->get_page_load_xpath())) {
+        if ($session->getPage()->find('xpath', $this->get_page_load_xpath())) {
             // We don't want to find this node, if we do we have an error.
             throw new ExpectationException(
-                'Page load expectation error: a new page has not been loaded when it should have been.',
-                $this->getSession()
-            );
+                'Page load expectation error: a new page has not been loaded when it should have been.', $session);
         }
+
+        // Cancel the tracking of pageloaddetectionrunning.
+        $this->pageloaddetectionrunning = false;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1278,6 +1298,12 @@ class behat_general extends behat_base {
      * @Given /^a new page should not have loaded since I started watching$/
      */
     public function a_new_page_should_not_have_loaded_since_i_started_watching() {
+        // Make sure page load tracking was started.
+        if (!$this->pageloaddetectionrunning) {
+            throw new ExpectationException(
+                'Page load expectation error: page load tracking was not started.', $session);
+        }
+
         // We use our API here as we can use the exception handling provided by it.
         $this->find(
             'xpath',