diff --git a/postings.go b/postings.go
index 180ac099d..950cd2e3c 100644
--- a/postings.go
+++ b/postings.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func (p *memPostings) get(t term) Postings {
 	if l == nil {
 		return emptyPostings
 	}
-	return &listPostings{list: l, idx: -1}
+	return newListPostings(l)
 }
 
 // add adds a document to the index. The caller has to ensure that no
@@ -70,18 +70,13 @@ func (e errPostings) Seek(uint32) bool { return false }
 func (e errPostings) At() uint32       { return 0 }
 func (e errPostings) Err() error       { return e.err }
 
-func expandPostings(p Postings) (res []uint32, err error) {
-	for p.Next() {
-		res = append(res, p.At())
-	}
-	return res, p.Err()
-}
+var emptyPostings = errPostings{}
 
 // Intersect returns a new postings list over the intersection of the
 // input postings.
 func Intersect(its ...Postings) Postings {
 	if len(its) == 0 {
-		return errPostings{err: nil}
+		return emptyPostings
 	}
 	a := its[0]
 
@@ -91,8 +86,6 @@ func Intersect(its ...Postings) Postings {
 	return a
 }
 
-var emptyPostings = errPostings{}
-
 type intersectPostings struct {
 	a, b     Postings
 	aok, bok bool
@@ -100,41 +93,44 @@ type intersectPostings struct {
 }
 
 func newIntersectPostings(a, b Postings) *intersectPostings {
-	it := &intersectPostings{a: a, b: b}
-	it.aok = it.a.Next()
-	it.bok = it.b.Next()
-
-	return it
+	return &intersectPostings{a: a, b: b}
 }
 
 func (it *intersectPostings) At() uint32 {
 	return it.cur
 }
 
-func (it *intersectPostings) Next() bool {
+func (it *intersectPostings) doNext(id uint32) bool {
 	for {
-		if !it.aok || !it.bok {
+		if !it.b.Seek(id) {
 			return false
 		}
-		av, bv := it.a.At(), it.b.At()
-
-		if av < bv {
-			it.aok = it.a.Seek(bv)
-		} else if bv < av {
-			it.bok = it.b.Seek(av)
-		} else {
-			it.cur = av
-			it.aok = it.a.Next()
-			it.bok = it.b.Next()
-			return true
+		if vb := it.b.At(); vb != id {
+			if !it.a.Seek(vb) {
+				return false
+			}
+			id = it.a.At()
+			if vb != id {
+				continue
+			}
 		}
+		it.cur = id
+		return true
+	}
+}
+
+func (it *intersectPostings) Next() bool {
+	if !it.a.Next() {
+		return false
 	}
+	return it.doNext(it.a.At())
 }
 
 func (it *intersectPostings) Seek(id uint32) bool {
-	it.aok = it.a.Seek(id)
-	it.bok = it.b.Seek(id)
-	return it.Next()
+	if !it.a.Seek(id) {
+		return false
+	}
+	return it.doNext(it.a.At())
 }
 
 func (it *intersectPostings) Err() error {
@@ -158,17 +154,14 @@ func Merge(its ...Postings) Postings {
 }
 
 type mergedPostings struct {
-	a, b     Postings
-	aok, bok bool
-	cur      uint32
+	a, b        Postings
+	initialized bool
+	aok, bok    bool
+	cur         uint32
 }
 
 func newMergedPostings(a, b Postings) *mergedPostings {
-	it := &mergedPostings{a: a, b: b}
-	it.aok = it.a.Next()
-	it.bok = it.b.Next()
-
-	return it
+	return &mergedPostings{a: a, b: b}
 }
 
 func (it *mergedPostings) At() uint32 {
@@ -176,6 +169,12 @@ func (it *mergedPostings) At() uint32 {
 }
 
 func (it *mergedPostings) Next() bool {
+	if !it.initialized {
+		it.aok = it.a.Next()
+		it.bok = it.b.Next()
+		it.initialized = true
+	}
+
 	if !it.aok && !it.bok {
 		return false
 	}
@@ -196,25 +195,31 @@ func (it *mergedPostings) Next() bool {
 	if acur < bcur {
 		it.cur = acur
 		it.aok = it.a.Next()
-		return true
-	}
-	if bcur < acur {
+	} else if acur > bcur {
 		it.cur = bcur
 		it.bok = it.b.Next()
-		return true
+	} else {
+		it.cur = acur
+		it.aok = it.a.Next()
+		it.bok = it.b.Next()
 	}
-	it.cur = acur
-	it.aok = it.a.Next()
-	it.bok = it.b.Next()
-
 	return true
 }
 
 func (it *mergedPostings) Seek(id uint32) bool {
 	it.aok = it.a.Seek(id)
 	it.bok = it.b.Seek(id)
-
-	return it.Next()
+	it.initialized = true
+	acur, bcur := it.a.At(), it.b.At()
+	if acur < bcur {
+		it.cur = acur
+	} else if acur > bcur {
+		it.cur = bcur
+	} else {
+		it.cur = acur
+		it.bok = it.b.Next()
+	}
+	return it.aok && it.bok
 }
 
 func (it *mergedPostings) Err() error {
@@ -227,28 +232,38 @@ func (it *mergedPostings) Err() error {
 // listPostings implements the Postings interface over a plain list.
 type listPostings struct {
 	list []uint32
-	idx  int
+	cur  uint32
 }
 
 func newListPostings(list []uint32) *listPostings {
-	return &listPostings{list: list, idx: -1}
+	return &listPostings{list: list}
 }
 
 func (it *listPostings) At() uint32 {
-	return it.list[it.idx]
+	return it.cur
 }
 
 func (it *listPostings) Next() bool {
-	it.idx++
-	return it.idx < len(it.list)
+	if len(it.list) > 0 {
+		it.cur = it.list[0]
+		it.list = it.list[1:]
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
 }
 
 func (it *listPostings) Seek(x uint32) bool {
 	// Do binary search between current position and end.
-	it.idx += sort.Search(len(it.list)-it.idx, func(i int) bool {
-		return it.list[i+it.idx] >= x
+	i := sort.Search(len(it.list), func(i int) bool {
+		return it.list[i] >= x
 	})
-	return it.idx < len(it.list)
+	if i < len(it.list) {
+		it.cur = it.list[i]
+		it.list = it.list[i+1:]
+		return true
+	}
+	it.list = nil
+	return false
 }
 
 func (it *listPostings) Err() error {
@@ -259,32 +274,40 @@ func (it *listPostings) Err() error {
 // big endian numbers.
 type bigEndianPostings struct {
 	list []byte
-	idx  int
+	cur  uint32
 }
 
 func newBigEndianPostings(list []byte) *bigEndianPostings {
-	return &bigEndianPostings{list: list, idx: -1}
+	return &bigEndianPostings{list: list}
 }
 
 func (it *bigEndianPostings) At() uint32 {
-	idx := 4 * it.idx
-	return binary.BigEndian.Uint32(it.list[idx : idx+4])
+	return it.cur
 }
 
 func (it *bigEndianPostings) Next() bool {
-	it.idx++
-	return it.idx*4 < len(it.list)
+	if len(it.list) >= 4 {
+		it.cur = binary.BigEndian.Uint32(it.list)
+		it.list = it.list[4:]
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
 }
 
 func (it *bigEndianPostings) Seek(x uint32) bool {
 	num := len(it.list) / 4
 	// Do binary search between current position and end.
-	it.idx += sort.Search(num-it.idx, func(i int) bool {
-		idx := 4 * (it.idx + i)
-		val := binary.BigEndian.Uint32(it.list[idx : idx+4])
-		return val >= x
+	i := sort.Search(num, func(i int) bool {
+		return binary.BigEndian.Uint32(it.list[i*4:]) >= x
 	})
-	return it.idx*4 < len(it.list)
+	if i < num {
+		j := i * 4
+		it.cur = binary.BigEndian.Uint32(it.list[j:])
+		it.list = it.list[j+4:]
+		return true
+	}
+	it.list = nil
+	return false
 }
 
 func (it *bigEndianPostings) Err() error {
diff --git a/postings_test.go b/postings_test.go
index d9154cab6..61db9ad44 100644
--- a/postings_test.go
+++ b/postings_test.go
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ func (m *mockPostings) Seek(v uint32) bool { return m.seek(v) }
 func (m *mockPostings) Value() uint32      { return m.value() }
 func (m *mockPostings) Err() error         { return m.err() }
 
+func expandPostings(p Postings) (res []uint32, err error) {
+	for p.Next() {
+		res = append(res, p.At())
+	}
+	return res, p.Err()
+}
+
 func TestIntersect(t *testing.T) {
 	var cases = []struct {
 		a, b []uint32
@@ -233,19 +240,9 @@ func TestMergedPostingsSeek(t *testing.T) {
 		p := newMergedPostings(a, b)
 
 		require.Equal(t, c.success, p.Seek(c.seek))
-
-		if c.success {
-			// check the current element and then proceed to check the rest.
-			i := 0
-			require.Equal(t, c.res[i], p.At())
-
-			for p.Next() {
-				i++
-				require.Equal(t, int(c.res[i]), int(p.At()))
-			}
-
-			require.Equal(t, len(c.res)-1, i)
-		}
+		lst, err := expandPostings(p)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, c.res, lst)
 	}
 
 	return
@@ -296,16 +293,16 @@ func TestBigEndian(t *testing.T) {
 				ls[600] + 1, ls[601], true,
 			},
 			{
-				ls[600] + 1, ls[601], true,
+				ls[600] + 1, ls[602], true,
 			},
 			{
-				ls[600] + 1, ls[601], true,
+				ls[600] + 1, ls[603], true,
 			},
 			{
-				ls[0], ls[601], true,
+				ls[0], ls[604], true,
 			},
 			{
-				ls[600], ls[601], true,
+				ls[600], ls[605], true,
 			},
 			{
 				ls[999], ls[999], true,
@@ -316,15 +313,11 @@ func TestBigEndian(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		bep := newBigEndianPostings(beLst)
-		bep.Next()
 
 		for _, v := range table {
 			require.Equal(t, v.found, bep.Seek(v.seek))
-			// Once you seek beyond, At() will panic.
-			if v.found {
-				require.Equal(t, v.val, bep.At())
-				require.Nil(t, bep.Err())
-			}
+			require.Equal(t, v.val, bep.At())
+			require.Nil(t, bep.Err())
 		}
 	})
 }