Consistency Metrics: How Prop Firms Judge Your Trading Pattern
Prop firms pretend consistency metrics are simple. They aren’t. Behind the scenes, firms track your size, timing, risk, win distribution, and daily P&L to determine whether you actually trade consistently — or whether your evaluation win was a one-day miracle.
What Consistency Metrics Measure
Every firm defines consistency differently, but the core items are the same:
- Position sizing stability
- Win/loss distribution
- P&L spread across days
- Trade frequency consistency
- Risk-per-trade stability
Consistency checks tie directly into behavior risk scoring.
The Most Common Consistency Rules
These rules pop up constantly across prop firms:
| Consistency Rule | What It Means |
|---|---|
| No single day can exceed X% of total profits | Prevents one-hit-wonder evaluations |
| Trade size must stay within a range | No wild contract jumping |
| Even profit distribution | Wins spread out across days |
| Risk must remain stable | No impulsive scaling |
Patterns That Fail Consistency Checks
These patterns get traders rejected even after meeting profit targets:
- One massive winning day + four tiny ones
- Doubling or tripling size mid-evaluation
- Trading only one session with no diversity
- High volatility scalps followed by low volatility swings
How Consistency Is Calculated Internally
The exact formulas vary, but internally, firms track simple ratios:
- Largest winning day / total profit
- Average size / maximum size
- Profit per day variance
- Win-rate variance
The lower your variance, the cleaner your profile looks.
How to Pass Consistency Checks Without Guessing
Passing consistency is about looking predictable:
- Use the same size every day
- Take similar risk each trade
- Don’t try to “finish early” with a home run day
- Spread your wins across multiple sessions
The Bottom Line
Consistency metrics expose traders who got lucky or reckless. Prop firms want grinders, not gamblers. If your trading pattern looks controlled and repeatable, you pass. If it looks like chaos, you fail — even if you hit the profit target.