diff --git a/pipelined/testbench/testbench.sv b/pipelined/testbench/testbench.sv
index ba3122926..0ebab1cf9 100644
--- a/pipelined/testbench/testbench.sv
+++ b/pipelined/testbench/testbench.sv
@@ -128,7 +128,8 @@ logic [3:0] dummy;
     end
   end
 
-  string signame, memfilename, pathname, objdumpfilename, adrstr;
+  string signame, memfilename, pathname, objdumpfilename, adrstr, outputfile;
+  integer outputFilePointer;
 
   logic [31:0] GPIOPinsIn, GPIOPinsOut, GPIOPinsEn;
   logic UARTSin, UARTSout;
@@ -213,70 +214,88 @@ logic [3:0] dummy;
           $display("Benchmark: coremark is done.");
           $stop;
         end
+      // Termination condition (i.e. we finished running current test) 
       if (DCacheFlushDone) begin
- 
-        #600; // give time for instructions in pipeline to finish
-        // clear signature to prevent contamination from previous tests
-        for(i=0; i<SIGNATURESIZE; i=i+1) begin
-          sig32[i] = 'bx;
-        end
-
-        // read signature, reformat in 64 bits if necessary
-        signame = {pathname, tests[test], ".signature.output"};
-        $readmemh(signame, sig32);
-        i = 0;
-        while (i < SIGNATURESIZE) begin
-          if (`XLEN == 32) begin
-            signature[i] = sig32[i];
-            i = i+1;
-          end else begin
-            signature[i/2] = {sig32[i+1], sig32[i]};
-            i = i + 2;
-          end
-          if (i >= 4 & sig32[i-4] === 'bx) begin
-            if (i == 4) begin
-              i = SIGNATURESIZE+1; // flag empty file
-              $display("  Error: empty test file");
-            end else i = SIGNATURESIZE; // skip over the rest of the x's for efficiency
-          end
-        end
-
-        // Check errors
-        errors = (i == SIGNATURESIZE+1); // error if file is empty
-        i = 0;
+        // Gets the memory location of begin_signature
         testadr = (`RAM_BASE+tests[test+1].atohex())/(`XLEN/8);
         testadrNoBase = (tests[test+1].atohex())/(`XLEN/8);
-        /* verilator lint_off INFINITELOOP */
-        while (signature[i] !== 'bx) begin
-          logic [`XLEN-1:0] sig;
-          if (`DMEM == `MEM_TIM) sig = dut.core.lsu.dtim.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadrNoBase+i];
-          else                   sig = dut.uncore.ram.ram.memory.RAM[testadrNoBase+i];
-          //$display("signature[%h] = %h sig = %h", i, signature[i], sig);
-          if (signature[i] !== sig &
-          //if (signature[i] !== dut.core.lsu.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadr+i] &
-	      (signature[i] !== DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i])) begin  // ***i+1?
-            if ((signature[i] !== '0 | signature[i+4] !== 'x)) begin
-              // if (signature[i+4] !== 'bx | (signature[i] !== 32'hFFFFFFFF & signature[i] !== 32'h00000000)) begin
-              // report errors unless they are garbage at the end of the sim
-              // kind of hacky test for garbage right now
-              $display("sig4 = %h ne %b", signature[i+4], signature[i+4] !== 'bx);
-              errors = errors+1;
-              $display("  Error on test %s result %d: adr = %h sim (D$) %h sim (DMEM) = %h, signature = %h", 
-                    tests[test], i, (testadr+i)*(`XLEN/8), DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i], sig, signature[i]);
-                    //   tests[test], i, (testadr+i)*(`XLEN/8), DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i], dut.core.lsu.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadr+i], signature[i]);
-              $stop;//***debug
+        #600; // give time for instructions in pipeline to finish
+        if (TEST == "embench") begin
+          // Writes contents of begin_signature to .sim.output file
+          // this contains instret and cycles for start and end of test run, used by embench python speed script to calculate embench speed score
+          // also begin_signature contains the results of the self checking mechanism, which will be read by the python script for error checking
+          $display("Embench Benchmark: %s is done.", tests[test]);
+          outputfile = {pathname, tests[test], ".sim.output"};
+          outputFilePointer = $fopen(outputfile);
+          i = 0;
+          while ($unsigned(i) < $unsigned(5'd5)) begin
+            $fdisplayh(outputFilePointer, DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i]);
+            i = i + 1;
+          end
+          $fclose(outputFilePointer);
+          $display("Embench Benchmark: created output file: %s", outputfile);
+        end else begin 
+          // for tests with no self checking mechanism, read .signature.output file and compare to check for errors
+          // clear signature to prevent contamination from previous tests
+          for(i=0; i<SIGNATURESIZE; i=i+1) begin
+            sig32[i] = 'bx;
+          end
+          // read signature, reformat in 64 bits if necessary
+          signame = {pathname, tests[test], ".signature.output"};
+          $readmemh(signame, sig32);
+          i = 0;
+          while (i < SIGNATURESIZE) begin
+            if (`XLEN == 32) begin
+              signature[i] = sig32[i];
+              i = i+1;
+            end else begin
+              signature[i/2] = {sig32[i+1], sig32[i]};
+              i = i + 2;
+            end
+            if (i >= 4 & sig32[i-4] === 'bx) begin
+              if (i == 4) begin
+                i = SIGNATURESIZE+1; // flag empty file
+                $display("  Error: empty test file");
+              end else i = SIGNATURESIZE; // skip over the rest of the x's for efficiency
             end
           end
-          i = i + 1;
-        end
-        /* verilator lint_on INFINITELOOP */
-        if (errors == 0) begin
-          $display("%s succeeded.  Brilliant!!!", tests[test]);
-        end
-        else begin
-          $display("%s failed with %d errors. :(", tests[test], errors);
-          totalerrors = totalerrors+1;
+
+          // Check errors
+          errors = (i == SIGNATURESIZE+1); // error if file is empty
+          i = 0;
+          /* verilator lint_off INFINITELOOP */
+          while (signature[i] !== 'bx) begin
+            logic [`XLEN-1:0] sig;
+            if (`DMEM == `MEM_TIM) sig = dut.core.lsu.dtim.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadrNoBase+i];
+            else                   sig = dut.uncore.ram.ram.memory.RAM[testadrNoBase+i];
+            //$display("signature[%h] = %h sig = %h", i, signature[i], sig);
+            if (signature[i] !== sig &
+            //if (signature[i] !== dut.core.lsu.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadr+i] &
+            (signature[i] !== DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i])) begin  // ***i+1?
+              if ((signature[i] !== '0 | signature[i+4] !== 'x)) begin
+                // if (signature[i+4] !== 'bx | (signature[i] !== 32'hFFFFFFFF & signature[i] !== 32'h00000000)) begin
+                // report errors unless they are garbage at the end of the sim
+                // kind of hacky test for garbage right now
+                $display("sig4 = %h ne %b", signature[i+4], signature[i+4] !== 'bx);
+                errors = errors+1;
+                $display("  Error on test %s result %d: adr = %h sim (D$) %h sim (DMEM) = %h, signature = %h", 
+                      tests[test], i, (testadr+i)*(`XLEN/8), DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i], sig, signature[i]);
+                      //   tests[test], i, (testadr+i)*(`XLEN/8), DCacheFlushFSM.ShadowRAM[testadr+i], dut.core.lsu.dtim.ram.memory.RAM[testadr+i], signature[i]);
+                $stop;//***debug
+              end
+            end
+            i = i + 1;
+          end
+          /* verilator lint_on INFINITELOOP */
+          if (errors == 0) begin
+            $display("%s succeeded.  Brilliant!!!", tests[test]);
+          end
+          else begin
+            $display("%s failed with %d errors. :(", tests[test], errors);
+            totalerrors = totalerrors+1;
+          end
         end
+        // move onto the next test, check to see if we're done
         test = test + 2;
         if (test == tests.size()) begin
           if (totalerrors == 0) $display("SUCCESS! All tests ran without failures.");
@@ -284,6 +303,7 @@ logic [3:0] dummy;
           $stop;
         end
         else begin
+            // If there are still additional tests to run, read in information for the next test
             //pathname = tvpaths[tests[0]];
             memfilename = {pathname, tests[test], ".elf.memfile"};
             //$readmemh(memfilename, dut.uncore.ram.ram.memory.RAM);