Prop Firm Evaluation Game Plan

One-contract, low-stress approach for passing futures prop firm evaluations without blowing trailing drawdown.

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:

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.

Related Guides