A method is described for determining the rate of performing neighbor cell measurements by a User Equipment (UE) in an idle mode, which is based on the RANK information of the serving cell and neighbor cells. The RANK information is available with the UE. Comparison of the RANK of the serving cell with a predefined Threshold Value along with the status of the Order of the RANKs of the neighbor cells for a predefined number of DRX cycles, are verified to conclude whether the UE should perform the neighbor cell measurement when the UE is in the idle mode. Thus the method utilizes cell RANKs to determine the network topology. The RANKs are deduced using Hysteresis, Cell Individual offsets, and other parameters by the UE to provide a more practical indication of the neighboring environment of a cell.