Numerous embodiments for reading or verifying a value stored in a selected memory cell in a vector-by-matrix multiplication (VMM) array in an artificial neural network are disclosed. In one embodiment, an input comprises a set of input bits that result in a series of input signals applied to a terminal of the selected memory cell, further resulting in a series of output signals that are digitized, shifted based on the bit location of the corresponding input bit in the set of input bits, and added to yield an output indicating a value stored in the selected memory cell.