Part 5 answers: How do I gain confidence the design is right, not just lucky?

One passing test proves little; confidence comes from a ladder where each rung catches bugs the lower rungs miss. This part climbs from tests that can fail through self-checking, random stimulus, assertions and coverage to a first look at formal methods.

Every rung is motivated by a real mini_controller bug that the rungs below it let through.

After this part you can

• Write a self-checking test with a reference model that fails on every real-bug mutant.

• Add assertions and coverpoints that catch a bug directed simulation missed.

• Explain what formal asks that simulation cannot answer.

Lessons

Every lesson in this part is ready. Work through them in order: each one sets up the problem the next one solves.

Where other courses go deeper

This course stays on the front-end start-up path and links out instead of repeating. These lessons build on or continue what this part teaches.

• RTL: Self-Checking and Observability

• RTL: SVA for RTL

• SystemVerilog: Covergroup Basics

• RTL: What Formal Adds Beyond Simulation

Related topics

• Course hub

• Previous: Part 4 · The Design Loop

• Next: Part 6 · Automation and Reproducibility