Prop Firm Evaluation Game Plan

Baseline: Know the Rules First

Before any plan matters, you have to know:

• Profit target
• Trailing drawdown or static drawdown
• Daily loss limit (if there is one)
• Minimum trading days

If you do not understand these, read:

• How Prop Firm Evaluations Work
• Trailing Drawdown Explained
• Apex-Style Rules by the Numbers

Step 1: One-Contract Only

Evaluation size does not matter. The game plan assumes:

• 1 contract maximum until the eval is passed
• No scaling up inside the evaluation

You scale after funding, not before. That keeps trailing drawdown safe and removes sizing stress.

Step 2: Define Your Per-Trade Risk

Link this to your account’s total drawdown, not the account balance number.

Example for a $50k eval with $2,500 trailing drawdown:

• Max total loss you are willing to eat: $2,000 of that $2,500
• Per-trade risk: 1–2% of $2,000 = $20–$40 per trade

For small accounts and risk math, see Risk Per Trade for Small Accounts.

Step 3: Daily Loss Limit (Stricter Than the Firm)

The firm might allow you to lose $1,000 in a day. Your plan should not.

• Set your own daily loss at ~10–15% of the allowed drawdown.
• For the $2,500 example, that is $250–$375 per day.

If you hit that number, you are done trading for the day. No “one more trade”.

Step 4: Trade Count Per Day

Concrete rule:

• Max 3–5 trades per day
• If you hit 3 wins, stop
• If you hit 3 losses, stop

This is how you avoid revenge trading and every mistake from Common Evaluation Mistakes.

Step 5: Daily Target and Number of Days

Example numbers:

• Profit target: $3,000
• Aim for: $150–$300 per day
• Expected duration: 10–20 trading days

You are not trying to pass in 2 days. You are trying to avoid blowing the account.

Step 6: When to Stop Trading for the Day

Stop immediately when any of these hit:

• You hit your personal daily profit target
• You hit your personal daily loss limit
• You hit your pre-set max number of trades

Step 7: Strategy and Execution Rules

This plan assumes you already have a basic setup and know what trades you are allowed to take.

Keep execution simple:

• Trade only your A-setup
• No chasing breakouts after missing the move
• Use the same bracket or ATM every time

Tie all of that back to Execution vs Idea.

Step 8: What to Do After a Big Win

If a single day gets you halfway or more to the target:

• Cut size? No, you are already at 1 contract.
• Instead, tighten daily loss even more for the next sessions.

The job after a big win is to not give it back.