Disclosed is a test method for testing a data store having an integrated test data compression circuit where the data store has a memory cell array with a multiplicity of addressable memory cells, read/write amplifiers for reading and writing data to the memory cell via an internal data bus in the data store and a test data compression circuit which compresses test data sequences, which are each read serially from the memory cell array, with stored reference test data sequences in order to produce a respective indicator data item which indicates whether at least one data error has occurred in the test data sequence which has been read.