Patent ID: 7307903

Claim:
A method for testing a memory device provided with a bank which includes a plurality of memory cell blocks (MCBs), each MCB including a plurality of word lines, the method comprising the steps of: a) activating MCBs in a subset one by one in a predetermined time period to point to a given word line for each MCB in the subset; b) performing sense, read (or write) and precharge operations on a subgroup of MCBs pointed to the given word line from MCBs in the subset; c) activating at least one MCB in the subgroup to point at another word line for the at least one MCB; d) completing sense, read (or write) and precharge operations on any remaining MCBs in the subset pointed at the given word line; e) activating the remaining MCBs in the subset to point at the another word line for the remaining MCBs in the subset; and f) performing sense, read (or write) and precharge operations on all of the MCBs in the subset pointed at the another word line.