diff --git a/src/include/btree.i b/src/include/btree.i
index 149f43046..ed993db7f 100644
--- a/src/include/btree.i
+++ b/src/include/btree.i
@@ -1160,20 +1160,21 @@ __wt_page_del_active(
 {
 	WT_PAGE_DELETED *page_del;
 	uint8_t prepare_state;
+        bool visible;
 
 	if ((page_del = ref->page_del) == NULL)
 		return (false);
 	if (page_del->txnid == WT_TXN_ABORTED)
 		return (false);
-	WT_ORDERED_READ(prepare_state, page_del->prepare_state);
-	if (prepare_state == WT_PREPARE_INPROGRESS ||
-	    prepare_state == WT_PREPARE_LOCKED)
-		return (true);
-	return (visible_all ?
-	    !__wt_txn_visible_all(session,
+	visible = (visible_all ?
+	    __wt_txn_visible_all(session,
 	    page_del->txnid, WT_TIMESTAMP_NULL(&page_del->timestamp)) :
-	    !__wt_txn_visible(session,
+	    __wt_txn_visible(session,
 	    page_del->txnid, WT_TIMESTAMP_NULL(&page_del->timestamp)));
+        if (!visible)
+                return (true);
+	WT_ORDERED_READ(prepare_state, page_del->prepare_state);
+	return (prepare_state != WT_PREPARE_INPROGRESS);
 }
 
 /*
diff --git a/test/format/ops.c b/test/format/ops.c
index 6930e470b..585d4f1c2 100644
--- a/test/format/ops.c
+++ b/test/format/ops.c
@@ -458,9 +458,10 @@ snap_check(WT_CURSOR *cursor,
 				print_item_data(
 				    "   found", value->data, value->size);
 
-			testutil_die(ret,
+			fprintf(stderr,
 			    "snapshot-isolation: %.*s search mismatch",
-			    (int)key->size, key->data);
+			    (int)key->size, (char *)key->data);
+			__wt_abort((WT_SESSION_IMPL *)cursor->session);
 			/* NOTREACHED */
 		case VAR:
 			fprintf(stderr,
@@ -1105,7 +1106,7 @@ update_instead_of_chosen_op:
 		 * If prepare configured, prepare the transaction 10% of the
 		 * time.
 		 */
-		if (g.c_prepare && mmrand(&tinfo->rnd, 1, 10) == 1) {
+		if (g.c_prepare && mmrand(&tinfo->rnd, 1, 4) == 1) {
 			ret = prepare_transaction(tinfo, session);
 			testutil_assert(ret == 0 || ret == WT_PREPARE_CONFLICT);
 			if (ret == WT_PREPARE_CONFLICT)