A communication method and system for converging a fifth generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a fourth generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of things (IoT) are provided. The communication method and system may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology, such as smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car, connected car, health care, digital education, smart retail, security and safety services. A method by a terminal configured with at least one serving cell for performing a random access (RA) procedure is provided. The method includes measuring downlink reference signal received power (DL RSRP) of a serving cell on which the RA procedure is initiated, determining whether the DL RSRP of the serving cell is greater than a threshold, and performing a two-step RA procedure based on the DL RSRP of the serving cell being greater than the threshold.