diff --git a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/AsyncKafkaConsumer.java b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/AsyncKafkaConsumer.java
index 80a0619d067..4ac326f8bb5 100644
--- a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/AsyncKafkaConsumer.java
+++ b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/AsyncKafkaConsumer.java
@@ -174,6 +174,35 @@ public class AsyncKafkaConsumer<K, V> implements ConsumerDelegate<K, V> {
 
     private static final long NO_CURRENT_THREAD = -1L;
 
+    private class CompositePollEventInvoker {
+
+        private final Timer timer;
+        private final long pollTimeMs;
+        private CompositePollEvent latest;
+        private int backoff = -1;
+
+        public CompositePollEventInvoker(Timer timer, long pollTimeMs) {
+            this.timer = timer;
+            this.pollTimeMs = pollTimeMs;
+        }
+
+        private void poll() {
+            if (latest == null || latest.isComplete()) {
+                long deadlineMs = calculateDeadlineMs(timer);
+                latest = new CompositePollEvent(deadlineMs, pollTimeMs, ApplicationEvent.Type.POLL);
+                applicationEventHandler.add(latest);
+            } else {
+                if (backoff == -1)
+                    backoff = 1;
+                else
+                    backoff *= 2;
+
+                long sleep = Math.min(Math.min(backoff, retryBackoffMs), timer.remainingMs());
+                timer.sleep(sleep);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * An {@link org.apache.kafka.clients.consumer.internals.events.EventProcessor} that is created and executes in the
      * application thread for the purpose of processing {@link BackgroundEvent background events} generated by the
@@ -837,13 +866,17 @@ public class AsyncKafkaConsumer<K, V> implements ConsumerDelegate<K, V> {
                 throw new IllegalStateException("Consumer is not subscribed to any topics or assigned any partitions");
             }
 
+            CompositePollEventInvoker pollEventInvoker = new CompositePollEventInvoker(timer, time.milliseconds());
+
             do {
                 // We must not allow wake-ups between polling for fetches and returning the records.
                 // If the polled fetches are not empty the consumed position has already been updated in the polling
                 // of the fetches. A wakeup between returned fetches and returning records would lead to never
                 // returning the records in the fetches. Thus, we trigger a possible wake-up before we poll fetches.
                 wakeupTrigger.maybeTriggerWakeup();
-                prepareFetch(timer);
+                processBackgroundEvents();
+                offsetCommitCallbackInvoker.executeCallbacks();
+                pollEventInvoker.poll();
                 final Fetch<K, V> fetch = pollForFetches(timer);
                 if (!fetch.isEmpty()) {
                     // before returning the fetched records, we can send off the next round of fetches
@@ -871,20 +904,6 @@ public class AsyncKafkaConsumer<K, V> implements ConsumerDelegate<K, V> {
         }
     }
 
-    private void prepareFetch(Timer timer) {
-        processBackgroundEvents();
-        offsetCommitCallbackInvoker.executeCallbacks();
-
-        long pollTimeMs = timer.currentTimeMs();
-
-        CompositePollEvent event = new CompositePollEvent(
-            calculateDeadlineMs(timer),
-            pollTimeMs,
-            ApplicationEvent.Type.POLL
-        );
-        applicationEventHandler.add(event);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Commit offsets returned on the last {@link #poll(Duration) poll()} for all the subscribed list of topics and
      * partitions.
diff --git a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/ApplicationEventProcessor.java b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/ApplicationEventProcessor.java
index e498fc3797a..e510b21f802 100644
--- a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/ApplicationEventProcessor.java
+++ b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/ApplicationEventProcessor.java
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
     }
 
     private void process(final CompositePollEvent event) {
-        if (maybePauseCompositePoll())
+        if (maybePauseCompositePoll(event))
             return;
 
         ApplicationEvent.Type nextEventType = event.nextEventType();
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
         if (nextEventType == ApplicationEvent.Type.POLL) {
             processPollEvent(event.pollTimeMs());
 
-            if (maybePauseCompositePoll())
+            if (maybePauseCompositePoll(event))
                 return;
 
             nextEventType = ApplicationEvent.Type.UPDATE_SUBSCRIPTION_METADATA;
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
         if (nextEventType == ApplicationEvent.Type.UPDATE_SUBSCRIPTION_METADATA) {
             processUpdatePatternSubscriptionEvent();
 
-            if (maybePauseCompositePoll())
+            if (maybePauseCompositePoll(event))
                 return;
 
             nextEventType = ApplicationEvent.Type.CHECK_AND_UPDATE_POSITIONS;
@@ -269,14 +269,15 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
             applicationEventReaper.add(new CompositePollPsuedoEvent<>(updatePositionsFuture, event.deadlineMs()));
 
             updatePositionsFuture.whenComplete((__, updatePositionsError) -> {
-                if (maybeFailCompositePoll(event, updatePositionsError) || maybePauseCompositePoll())
+                if (maybeFailCompositePoll(event, updatePositionsError) || maybePauseCompositePoll(event))
                     return;
 
                 // If needed, create a fetch request if there's no data in the FetchBuffer.
                 requestManagers.fetchRequestManager.createFetchRequests().whenComplete((___, fetchError) -> {
-                    if (maybeFailCompositePoll(event, fetchError) || maybePauseCompositePoll())
+                    if (maybeFailCompositePoll(event, fetchError) || maybePauseCompositePoll(event))
                         return;
 
+                    event.complete();
                     log.trace("Completed CompositePollEvent {}", event);
                 });
             });
@@ -285,14 +286,19 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
         }
 
         log.warn("Unknown next step for composite poll: {}", nextEventType);
+        event.complete();
     }
 
-    private boolean maybePauseCompositePoll() {
-        if (backgroundEventProcessingRequiredTest.requiresApplicationThread())
+    private boolean maybePauseCompositePoll(CompositePollEvent event) {
+        if (backgroundEventProcessingRequiredTest.requiresApplicationThread()) {
+            event.complete();
             return true;
+        }
 
-        if (offsetCommitCallbackInvocationRequiredTest.requiresApplicationThread())
+        if (offsetCommitCallbackInvocationRequiredTest.requiresApplicationThread()) {
+            event.complete();
             return true;
+        }
 
         return false;
     }
@@ -311,6 +317,7 @@ public class ApplicationEventProcessor implements EventProcessor<ApplicationEven
         }
 
         backgroundEventHandler.add(new ErrorEvent(t));
+        event.complete();
         log.trace("Failing CompositePollEvent {}", event, t);
         return true;
     }
diff --git a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/CompositePollEvent.java b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/CompositePollEvent.java
index ae69745dbf9..7106f03f04c 100644
--- a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/CompositePollEvent.java
+++ b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/clients/consumer/internals/events/CompositePollEvent.java
@@ -16,11 +16,14 @@
  */
 package org.apache.kafka.clients.consumer.internals.events;
 
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
+
 public class CompositePollEvent extends ApplicationEvent {
 
     private final long deadlineMs;
     private final long pollTimeMs;
     private final Type nextEventType;
+    private final AtomicBoolean complete = new AtomicBoolean();
 
     public CompositePollEvent(long deadlineMs, long pollTimeMs, Type nextEventType) {
         super(Type.COMPOSITE_POLL);
@@ -41,8 +44,16 @@ public class CompositePollEvent extends ApplicationEvent {
         return nextEventType;
     }
 
+    public boolean isComplete() {
+        return complete.get();
+    }
+
+    public void complete() {
+        complete.set(true);
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected String toStringBase() {
-        return super.toStringBase() + ", deadlineMs=" + deadlineMs + ", pollTimeMs=" + pollTimeMs + ", nextEventType=" + nextEventType;
+        return super.toStringBase() + ", deadlineMs=" + deadlineMs + ", pollTimeMs=" + pollTimeMs + ", nextEventType=" + nextEventType + ", complete=" + complete;
     }
 }