1. A method of identifying the failing instruction of a test segment, the method comprising the steps of: executing on a known device for N cycles the test segment having one or more instructions, generating an expected result; executing on a device-under-test (DUT) for N cycles the test segment, generating an actual result; determining whether the expected result is substantially equivalent to the actual result; upon a determination that the expected result is substantially equivalent to the actual result, increasing N; upon a determination that the expected result is substantially equivalent to the actual result, decreasing N; determining whether N identifies the failing instruction; upon a determination that N does not identify the failing instruction, repeating the steps above; and upon a determination that N does identify the failing instruction, reporting the failing instruction.