Part 2 — How to pass it

How to pass a prop firm challenge

A challenge is a risk-management test with a profit target attached. The traders who pass are usually not the ones with the best entries — they are the ones whose position size was set by the loss limit rather than by conviction.

Get the limits you need for the maths

The calculation below needs two numbers: the daily loss limit and the maximum drawdown for the account you are considering. Both are on the firm’s own challenge page.

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Size risk against the daily loss limit, not the account

Outside a challenge, risk per trade is normally expressed as a share of account equity. Inside a challenge that is the wrong denominator, because the constraint that removes you is the daily loss limit, and it resets every day while the maximum drawdown does not.

Work backwards instead. Decide how many losing trades in a row you must be able to absorb before the daily limit is reached — a consecutive run you can genuinely expect from your own strategy, not a best case. Divide the daily limit by that number, and that is your maximum risk per trade. If the result feels too small to reach the target in the time available, the honest conclusion is that the challenge is a poor fit, not that the risk should be raised.

Then apply the same logic to the maximum drawdown across the whole attempt. The daily limit governs a session; the maximum drawdown governs the attempt. Your worst realistic losing streak has to fit inside the second one as well as the first, and on a trailing model that room moves as your equity rises.

Because the exact limits differ by firm and by account, take them from the firm's own challenge page and put the numbers into that calculation before your first trade. We do not restate specific limits here, as they change.

Why minimum-day rules change the strategy

A minimum-trading-day requirement means the target cannot be reached in a single strong session — or if it is, funding still waits until the day count is met. That changes the optimal approach in a way traders consistently underestimate.

The failure mode is reaching the target early and then continuing to trade to satisfy the day count, with the target already banked and nothing to gain. Every additional trade at full size is now pure downside risk against limits that are still live. The correct response is to reduce size sharply once the target is secured and treat the remaining required days as an administrative box to tick.

Where a minimum-day rule is combined with a time limit, plan the pace up front: the number of sessions available is fixed, so a target-per-session pace tells you whether your normal position size can get there without breaking the risk maths above.

Check the minimum-day rule before you plan the attempt

Whether a day count applies, and how a day is counted, is stated by the firm and changes how you should pace the attempt.

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The failure patterns that end most attempts

These are behavioural, not technical. Each one is a decision made after a rule was already under pressure.

Revenge trading after a drawdown day

The single most common ending. A losing day consumes part of the daily limit; the response is to trade larger to recover it inside the same session, which converts a normal loss into a breach. The rule that protects you is mechanical: once a predefined share of the daily limit is gone, the session is over regardless of what the chart is doing.

Oversizing near the profit target

Attempts fail far more often within touching distance of the target than at the start. The reasoning is that one larger position finishes it. But position size that was appropriate at the start is not appropriate when the remaining distance is small and the remaining drawdown room is unchanged — the risk-to-benefit of that trade has inverted.

News-event breaches

A position held into a scheduled release can gap past a stop and take out the daily limit in one print, and some firms restrict trading around releases outright. Both the volatility risk and the rule risk are avoidable by knowing the calendar and the firm's stated policy in advance.

Breaching a rule you never read

Weekend holding, maximum lot size, hedging across accounts, copy trading, minimum trading days — these end attempts that were otherwise profitable. Read the full rule document once, before the first trade, not after a warning email.

Rules that suit a slower, lower-risk plan

If the failure patterns above describe your last attempt, a rule set with more room per session may fit better. Read the current terms directly.

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Now find a rule set your risk plan fits inside

If the risk-per-trade figure you just calculated is unworkable under one firm's limits, it may be workable under another's. Compare the rule sets directly.

Compare challenge rule sets Which challenge to buy

Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Our recommendations are based on the factors explained on each page.

FundingPips

Forex · Metals · Indices · Energies · Crypto

Evaluation-based funding across forex and CFD markets. Current phase structure, targets and drawdown terms are published on the firm's challenge page.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Model and phase dependent — around 8%/5% on the two-step, 10% on the one-step.
Daily loss limit: Typically 3–5%, treated as a hard breach.
Max loss / drawdown: Typically 6–10%, static or trailing depending on the model.
Minimum days: Minimum profitable days apply on Zero.
Other rules: A consistency rule (biggest day around 15%) applies on some funded accounts.

Best for

Traders comparing multi-phase evaluation formats.

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The5ers

Forex

Long-running forex funding provider with more than one programme type. Compare the programmes on the firm's site before choosing.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Commonly 6–10% per phase.
Daily loss limit: Around 3–5% — pauses or terminates depending on the programme.
Max loss / drawdown: Static 6–10% on many CFD programmes; trailing on futures.
Minimum days: Minimum profitable days on some programmes (3 days of at least 0.5%).
Other rules: 30 days of inactivity closes the account.

Best for

Lower-frequency and swing traders comparing programme types.

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Alpha Capital

Forex · Metals · Indices · Oil

Evaluation programmes for forex and CFD traders. Rule details are listed on the firm's own signup flow.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Roughly 6–12% depending on the plan.
Daily loss limit: End-of-day based, around 3–5%.
Max loss / drawdown: Trailing on Alpha One, static on Pro — roughly 4–10%.
Minimum days: 0–1 on Alpha One; 3 per phase on Pro and Three.
Other rules: Not specified

Best for

Traders comparing evaluation rule sets rather than headline price.

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Goat Funded Trader

Forex · CFDs

Offers several challenge formats. Check the checkout page for the account sizes and rule sets currently on sale.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Varies by model; some instant products have no target or a low one.
Daily loss limit: Model dependent — around 3% on some entry products.
Max loss / drawdown: Model dependent — around 6% on some entry products.
Minimum days: Not specified
Other rules: Consistency, news, overnight and EA rules are model-specific — confirm on help.goatfundedtrader.com.

Best for

Traders who want a choice of challenge models in one place.

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Top One Futures

Futures

Futures-focused evaluation accounts. Contract limits and drawdown model are set out on the firm's site.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Not fully verified — check the official help centre.
Daily loss limit: Not fully verified — check the official help centre.
Max loss / drawdown: Drawdown type not fully verified — check the official help centre.
Minimum days: Not specified
Other rules: News trading allowed per the firm's marketing; 90% profit split.

Best for

Traders whose strategy is futures-based rather than forex.

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For Traders

Forex · CFDs

Challenge selection is configured directly in the firm's new-challenge screen, where the current terms are shown.

Challenge fee: Not specified
Profit target: Low on some newer models — 2% on Pay After Pass.
Daily loss limit: Around 3% on the models we have seen.
Max loss / drawdown: Around 6%, trailing on those examples.
Minimum days: Not specified
Other rules: A 20% consistency rule applies on funded accounts in some models; inactivity rules apply.

Best for

Traders who want to see the challenge builder before buying.

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Futures-based plan?

Sizing against a futures drawdown model works differently. Take the contract limits and drawdown terms from the firm’s own site.

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Switch model if the fit is wrong

One-step challenges

A single evaluation phase before funding.

Two-step challenges

The classic two-phase evaluation route.

Instant funding

No evaluation phase — funded from purchase.

Check current rules on

FundingPips

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