A method includes receiving a codeword over a communications channel and initializing a test codeword to be equal to the codeword received over the communications channel. The method includes performing, for each row of a low-density parity check (LDPC) matrix, an LDPC processing operation on the test codeword. The method includes, once the LDPC processing operations have been performed for all of the rows of the LDPC matrix, repeating the LDPC processing operations. The method includes monitoring progress of the LDPC processing operations. The method includes selectively generating a termination signal in response to the test codeword being a valid codeword according to the LDPC matrix. The method includes terminating the LDPC processing operations in response to generation of the termination signal.