A method for classifying memory cells in an integrated circuit is provided, wherein the integrated circuit has a memory cell field including a plurality of memory cells. The method includes determining, for each subset of the memory cells of a plurality of subsets of the memory cells, a threshold voltage distribution; determining whether the determined threshold voltage distributions fulfill a threshold voltage criterion; and depending on whether the determined threshold voltage distributions fulfill the threshold voltage criterion, classifying at least some of the non-selected memory cells.