diff --git a/ethereum/statetransition/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoice.java b/ethereum/statetransition/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoice.java
index 2dbc83a37db..8039f5344b7 100644
--- a/ethereum/statetransition/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoice.java
+++ b/ethereum/statetransition/src/main/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoice.java
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ private BlockImportResult importBlockAndState(
         blobSidecars,
         earliestBlobSidecarsSlot);
 
-    if (applyProposerBoost(block, transaction)) {
+    if (shouldApplyProposerBoost(block, transaction)) {
       transaction.setProposerBoostRoot(block.getRoot());
     }
 
@@ -578,21 +578,25 @@ private BlockImportResult importBlockAndState(
     return result;
   }
 
-  private boolean applyProposerBoost(
+  // from consensus-specs/fork-choice:
+  // get_current_slot(store) == block.slot and is_before_attesting_interval and is_first_block
+  private boolean shouldApplyProposerBoost(
       final SignedBeaconBlock block, final StoreTransaction transaction) {
-    if (spec.getCurrentSlot(transaction).equals(block.getSlot())) {
-      final UInt64 millisPerSlot = spec.getMillisPerSlot(block.getSlot());
-      final UInt64 timeIntoSlotMillis = getMillisIntoSlot(transaction, millisPerSlot);
-
-      if (isBeforeAttestingInterval(millisPerSlot, timeIntoSlotMillis)) {
-        if (forkChoiceProposerBoostUniquenessEnabled) {
-          // is_first_block
-          return recentChainData.getStore().getProposerBoostRoot().isEmpty();
-        }
-        return true;
-      }
+    if (!spec.getCurrentSlot(transaction).equals(block.getSlot())) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    final UInt64 millisPerSlot = spec.getMillisPerSlot(block.getSlot());
+    final UInt64 timeIntoSlotMillis = getMillisIntoSlot(transaction, millisPerSlot);
+    if (!isBeforeAttestingInterval(millisPerSlot, timeIntoSlotMillis)) {
+      return false;
     }
-    return false;
+
+    if (forkChoiceProposerBoostUniquenessEnabled) {
+      return transaction.getProposerBoostRoot().isEmpty();
+    }
+
+    return true;
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/ethereum/statetransition/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoiceTest.java b/ethereum/statetransition/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoiceTest.java
index 9e6cf578640..52ff4045690 100644
--- a/ethereum/statetransition/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoiceTest.java
+++ b/ethereum/statetransition/src/test/java/tech/pegasys/teku/statetransition/forkchoice/ForkChoiceTest.java
@@ -1094,11 +1094,9 @@ private SignedBlockAndState generateMergeBlock() {
             ZERO);
     executionLayer.addPowBlock(terminalBlock);
     executionLayer.addPowBlock(terminalParentBlock);
-    final SignedBlockAndState epoch4Block =
-        chainBuilder.generateBlockAtSlot(
-            storageSystem.chainUpdater().getHeadSlot().plus(1),
-            BlockOptions.create().setTerminalBlockHash(terminalBlockHash));
-    return epoch4Block;
+    return chainBuilder.generateBlockAtSlot(
+        storageSystem.chainUpdater().getHeadSlot().plus(1),
+        BlockOptions.create().setTerminalBlockHash(terminalBlockHash));
   }
 
   @Test