diff --git a/index/scorch/segment/empty.go b/index/scorch/segment/empty.go
index 6fa85f65..7bd0a50c 100644
--- a/index/scorch/segment/empty.go
+++ b/index/scorch/segment/empty.go
@@ -105,3 +105,7 @@ func (e *EmptyPostingsIterator) Next() (Posting, error) {
 func (e *EmptyPostingsIterator) Size() int {
 	return 0
 }
+
+func (e *EmptyPostingsIterator) Advance(uint64) (Posting, error) {
+	return nil, nil
+}
diff --git a/index/scorch/segment/mem/posting.go b/index/scorch/segment/mem/posting.go
index 362fdb7c..710f6e76 100644
--- a/index/scorch/segment/mem/posting.go
+++ b/index/scorch/segment/mem/posting.go
@@ -155,6 +155,27 @@ func (i *PostingsIterator) Next() (segment.Posting, error) {
 	return &i.reuse, nil
 }
 
+func (i *PostingsIterator) Advance(docNumber uint64) (segment.Posting, error) {
+	if i.reuse.Number() == docNumber {
+		return &i.reuse, nil
+	}
+	next, err := i.Next()
+	if err != nil || next == nil {
+		return next, err
+	}
+
+	nnum := next.Number()
+	for nnum < docNumber {
+		next, err = i.Next()
+		if err != nil || next == nil {
+			return next, err
+		}
+		nnum = next.Number()
+	}
+
+	return next, nil
+}
+
 // Posting is a single entry in a postings list
 type Posting struct {
 	iterator  *PostingsIterator
diff --git a/index/scorch/segment/segment.go b/index/scorch/segment/segment.go
index adab7a01..9c3e1701 100644
--- a/index/scorch/segment/segment.go
+++ b/index/scorch/segment/segment.go
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ type PostingsIterator interface {
 	Next() (Posting, error)
 
 	Size() int
+
+	// Advance will return the respective posting of the
+	// sepcified doc number or its immediate follower.
+	Advance(docNum uint64) (Posting, error)
 }
 
 type Posting interface {
diff --git a/index/scorch/segment/zap/posting.go b/index/scorch/segment/zap/posting.go
index b3a1891e..6b9e1a53 100644
--- a/index/scorch/segment/zap/posting.go
+++ b/index/scorch/segment/zap/posting.go
@@ -588,6 +588,37 @@ func (i *PostingsIterator) nextBytes() (
 	return docNum, freq, normBits, bytesFreqNorm, bytesLoc, nil
 }
 
+func (i *PostingsIterator) Advance(docNumber uint64) (segment.Posting, error) {
+	// check if we are already there
+	if i.next.Number() == docNumber {
+		return &i.next, nil
+	}
+
+	nChunk := uint32(docNumber) / i.postings.sb.chunkFactor
+	if i.currChunk != nChunk {
+		err := i.loadChunk(int(nChunk))
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Advance, error loading chunk: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	next, err := i.Next()
+	if err != nil || next == nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	nnum := next.Number()
+	for nnum < docNumber {
+		next, err = i.Next()
+		if err != nil || next == nil {
+			return next, err
+		}
+		nnum = next.Number()
+	}
+
+	return next, nil
+}
+
 // nextDocNum returns the next docNum on the postings list, and also
 // sets up the currChunk / loc related fields of the iterator.
 func (i *PostingsIterator) nextDocNum() (uint64, bool, error) {
diff --git a/index/scorch/snapshot_index_tfr.go b/index/scorch/snapshot_index_tfr.go
index e1a0e9a5..4c3d08ed 100644
--- a/index/scorch/snapshot_index_tfr.go
+++ b/index/scorch/snapshot_index_tfr.go
@@ -115,7 +115,8 @@ func (i *IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader) postingToTermFieldDoc(next segment.Postin
 	}
 }
 
-func (i *IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader) Advance(ID index.IndexInternalID, preAlloced *index.TermFieldDoc) (*index.TermFieldDoc, error) {
+func (i *IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader) Advance(ID index.IndexInternalID,
+	preAlloced *index.TermFieldDoc) (*index.TermFieldDoc, error) {
 	// FIXME do something better
 	// for now, if we need to seek backwards, then restart from the beginning
 	if i.currPosting != nil && bytes.Compare(i.currID, ID) >= 0 {
@@ -126,24 +127,30 @@ func (i *IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader) Advance(ID index.IndexInternalID, preAllo
 		}
 		*i = *(i2.(*IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader))
 	}
-	// FIXME do something better
-	next, err := i.Next(preAlloced)
+
+	num, err := docInternalToNumber(ID)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if next == nil {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
-	for bytes.Compare(next.ID, ID) < 0 {
-		next, err = i.Next(preAlloced)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		if next == nil {
-			break
-		}
+	segIndex, ldocNum := i.snapshot.segmentIndexAndLocalDocNumFromGlobal(num)
+	if segIndex > len(i.snapshot.segment) {
+		return nil, nil
 	}
-	return next, nil
+	// skip directly to the target segment
+	next, err := i.iterators[segIndex].Advance(ldocNum)
+	if err != nil || next == nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if preAlloced == nil {
+		preAlloced = &index.TermFieldDoc{}
+	}
+	preAlloced.ID = docNumberToBytes(preAlloced.ID, next.Number()+
+		i.snapshot.offsets[segIndex])
+	i.postingToTermFieldDoc(next, preAlloced)
+	i.currID = preAlloced.ID
+	i.currPosting = next
+	return preAlloced, nil
 }
 
 func (i *IndexSnapshotTermFieldReader) Count() uint64 {