diff --git a/src/V3AstNodeMath.h b/src/V3AstNodeMath.h
index 398e57832..ef635a14a 100644
--- a/src/V3AstNodeMath.h
+++ b/src/V3AstNodeMath.h
@@ -4265,9 +4265,7 @@ public:
     bool same(const AstNode* samep) const override;
     inline bool same(const AstVarRef* samep) const;
     inline bool sameNoLvalue(AstVarRef* samep) const;
-    int instrCount() const override {
-        return widthInstrs() * (access().isReadOrRW() ? INSTR_COUNT_LD : 1);
-    }
+    int instrCount() const override;
     string emitVerilog() override { V3ERROR_NA_RETURN(""); }
     string emitC() override { V3ERROR_NA_RETURN(""); }
     bool cleanOut() const override { return true; }
diff --git a/src/V3AstNodeOther.h b/src/V3AstNodeOther.h
index 3e2fd6430..a0b3e991f 100644
--- a/src/V3AstNodeOther.h
+++ b/src/V3AstNodeOther.h
@@ -2851,6 +2851,7 @@ public:
         statement(true);
         dtypeSetVoid();
     }
+    int instrCount() const override;
 };
 class AstCReset final : public AstNodeStmt {
     // Reset variable at startup
diff --git a/src/V3AstNodes.cpp b/src/V3AstNodes.cpp
index 92e0b2fce..3487e1814 100644
--- a/src/V3AstNodes.cpp
+++ b/src/V3AstNodes.cpp
@@ -2047,6 +2047,14 @@ void AstVarRef::dump(std::ostream& str) const {
 bool AstVarRef::same(const AstNode* samep) const {
     return same(static_cast<const AstVarRef*>(samep));
 }
+int AstVarRef::instrCount() const {
+    // Account for the target of hard-coded method calls as just an address computation
+    if (const AstCMethodHard* const callp = VN_CAST(backp(), CMethodHard)) {
+        if (callp->fromp() == this) return 1;
+    }
+    // Otherwise as a load/store
+    return widthInstrs() * (access().isReadOrRW() ? INSTR_COUNT_LD : 1);
+}
 void AstVar::dump(std::ostream& str) const {
     this->AstNode::dump(str);
     if (isSc()) str << " [SC]";
@@ -2247,6 +2255,18 @@ void AstCAwait::dump(std::ostream& str) const {
         sensesp()->dump(str);
     }
 }
+int AstCMethodHard::instrCount() const {
+    if (AstBasicDType* const basicp = fromp()->dtypep()->basicp()) {
+        // TODO: add a more structured description of library methods, rather than using string
+        //       matching. See #3715.
+        if (basicp->isTriggerVec() && m_name == "at") {
+            // This is an important special case for scheduling so we compute it precisely,
+            // it is simply a load.
+            return INSTR_COUNT_LD;
+        }
+    }
+    return AstNodeStmt::instrCount();
+}
 const char* AstCFunc::broken() const {
     BROKEN_RTN((m_scopep && !m_scopep->brokeExists()));
     return nullptr;