diff --git a/tools/test/hwpmc/pmctest.py b/tools/test/hwpmc/pmctest.py
index 8accdf09e69a..588fe6d79e83 100755
--- a/tools/test/hwpmc/pmctest.py
+++ b/tools/test/hwpmc/pmctest.py
@@ -1,86 +1,103 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2012, Neville-Neil Consulting
 # Copyright (c) 2026, George V. Neville-Neil
 # All rights reserved.
 #
 
 # Description: A program to run a simple program against every available
 # pmc counter present in a system.
 #
 # To use:
 #
 # pmctest.py -p ls > /dev/null
 #
 # This should result in ls being run with every available counter
 # and the system should neither lock up nor panic.
 #
 # The default is not to wait after each counter is tested.  Since the
 # prompt would go to stdout you won't see it, just press return
 # to continue or Ctrl-D to stop.
 
 import sys
 import subprocess
 from subprocess import PIPE
 import argparse
 import tempfile
 from pathlib import Path
 
 def gather_counters():
     """Run program and return output as array of lines."""
     result = subprocess.run("pmccontrol -L", shell=True, capture_output=True, text=True)
     tabbed = result.stdout.strip().split('\n')
     return [line.replace('\t', '') for line in tabbed]
 
 # A list of strings that are not really counters, just
 # name tags that are output by pmccontrol -L
 notcounter = ["IAF", "IAP", "TSC", "UNC", "UCF", "UCP", "SOFT" ]
 
 def main():
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Exercise a program under hwpmc')
     parser.add_argument('--program', type=str, required=True, help='target program')
     parser.add_argument('--wait', action='store_true', help='Wait after each counter.')
-    parser.add_argument('--exercise', action='store_true', help='Exercise the program being studied using sampling counters.')
+    parser.add_argument('--count', action='store_true', help='Exercise the program being studied using counting mode pmcs.')
+    parser.add_argument('--sample', action='store_true', help='Exercise the program being studied using sampling mode pmcs.')
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     counters = gather_counters()
 
     if len(counters) <= 0:
         print("no counters found")
         sys.exit()
 
+    if args.count == True and args.sample == True:
+        print("Choose one of --count OR --sample.")
+        sys.exit()
+
     program = Path(args.program).name
 
-    if args.exercise == True:
-        tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=program + "-", suffix="-pmc")
+    if args.count == True:
+        tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=program + "-", suffix="-counting-pmc")
+        print("Exercising program ", args.program, " storing results data in ", tmpdir)
+
+    if args.sample == True:
+        tmpdir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=program + "-", suffix="-sampling-pmc")
         print("Exercising program ", args.program, " storing results data in ", tmpdir)
 
     for counter in counters:
         if counter in notcounter:
             continue
-        if args.exercise == True:
+        if args.count == True:
+            with open(tmpdir + "/" + program + "-" + counter + ".txt", 'w') as file:
+                p = subprocess.Popen(["pmcstat",
+                                      "-p", counter, args.program],
+                                     text=True, stderr=file, stdout=file)
+                result = p.communicate()[1]
+                print(result)
+        elif args.sample == True:
             p = subprocess.Popen(["pmcstat",
                                   "-O", tmpdir + "/" + program + "-" + counter + ".pmc",
                                   "-P", counter, args.program],
                                  text=True, stderr=PIPE)
             result = p.communicate()[1]
             print(result)
+
         else:
             p = subprocess.Popen(["pmcstat", "-p", counter, args.program],
                              text=True, stderr=PIPE)
             result = p.communicate()[1]
             print(result)
             if (args.wait == True):
                 try:
                     value = input("Waitin for you to press ENTER")
                 except EOFError:
                     sys.exit()
                     
 # The canonical way to make a python module into a script.
 # Remove if unnecessary.
  
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     main()