diff --git a/test/core/util/test_config.c b/test/core/util/test_config.c
index 479aeda8984ef6257be87be7a47935eba269d972..046e4beed16e2e34790e8bcd6bdfb678913c1209 100644
--- a/test/core/util/test_config.c
+++ b/test/core/util/test_config.c
@@ -33,14 +33,20 @@
 
 #include "test/core/util/test_config.h"
 
-#include <grpc/support/log.h>
 #include <signal.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+
+#include <grpc/support/alloc.h>
+#include <grpc/support/log.h>
+
+#include "src/core/lib/iomgr/port.h"
+#include "src/core/lib/support/env.h"
 #include "src/core/lib/support/string.h"
 
 double g_fixture_slowdown_factor = 1.0;
+double g_poller_slowdown_factor = 1.0;
 
 #if GPR_GETPID_IN_UNISTD_H
 #include <unistd.h>
@@ -274,9 +280,18 @@ static void install_crash_handler() {}
 
 void grpc_test_init(int argc, char **argv) {
   install_crash_handler();
-  gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG, "test slowdown: machine=%f build=%f total=%f",
+#ifdef GRPC_POSIX_SOCKET
+  { /* poll-cv poll strategy runs much more slowly than anything else */
+    char *s = gpr_getenv("GRPC_POLL_STRATEGY");
+    if (s != NULL && 0 == strcmp(s, "poll-cv")) {
+      g_poller_slowdown_factor = 5.0;
+    }
+    gpr_free(s);
+  }
+#endif
+  gpr_log(GPR_DEBUG, "test slowdown: machine=%f build=%f poll=%f total=%f",
           (double)GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_MACHINE_FACTOR,
-          (double)GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_BUILD_FACTOR,
+          (double)GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_BUILD_FACTOR, g_poller_slowdown_factor,
           (double)GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_FACTOR);
   /* seed rng with pid, so we don't end up with the same random numbers as a
      concurrently running test binary */
diff --git a/test/core/util/test_config.h b/test/core/util/test_config.h
index 76686f1c51b8e49e43a1f444bded88aeccc8b11b..c13fe86a64920b597367004613b5426592c41a9e 100644
--- a/test/core/util/test_config.h
+++ b/test/core/util/test_config.h
@@ -49,10 +49,11 @@ extern "C" {
 #endif
 
 extern double g_fixture_slowdown_factor;
+extern double g_poller_slowdown_factor;
 
 #define GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_FACTOR                                        \
   (GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_BUILD_FACTOR * GRPC_TEST_SLOWDOWN_MACHINE_FACTOR * \
-   g_fixture_slowdown_factor)
+   g_fixture_slowdown_factor * g_poller_slowdown_factor)
 
 #define GRPC_TIMEOUT_SECONDS_TO_DEADLINE(x)                                  \
   gpr_time_add(                                                              \