Self-referenced reading of a memory cell in a memory includes first applying a read voltage across the memory cell to produce a sample voltage. After applying the read voltage, a write current is applied to the memory cell to write a first state to the memory cell. After applying the write current, the read voltage is reapplied across the memory cell. An offset current is also applied while the read voltage is reapplied, and the resulting evaluation voltage from reapplying the read voltage with the offset current is compared with the sample voltage to determine the state of the memory cell.