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# How to Pass a Prop Firm Evaluation
- URL: https://www.flltlt.com/blog/how-to-pass-a-prop-firm-evaluation/
- Published: 2026-10-27T12:50:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-27T13:47:00.000Z
- Description: The rules, the math and a simple plan for passing a prop firm evaluation, with trailing drawdown and consistency rules explained in real numbers.
- Author: Fulltilt
- Tags: Passing Evaluations, #pillar

**The short answer:** To pass a prop firm evaluation, size every trade from the maximum drawdown, not the profit target, and trade a simple plan for as many days as it takes. Most accounts don't fail because the trader can't find winners. They fail because a few oversized losses hit the drawdown before the target is reached.

## Key takeaways

- The drawdown is the real limit. The profit target is just the finish line.
- Risk 5–10% of the drawdown per trade, so one bad day can't end the account.
- Set your own daily loss limit, tighter than the firm's.
- Know the consistency rule before day one, or a great day can delay your pass.
- Passing usually takes weeks. Plan for that.

## Which rules decide whether you pass?

**Five rules decide almost every evaluation.** Read each one in your firm's rulebook before your first trade.

| Rule             | What to check                                                             | Why it matters                        |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Profit target    | The amount, and any minimum trading days                                  | Sets how far you need to go           |
| Maximum drawdown | Static, end-of-day trailing or intraday trailing; where it stops trailing | The rule that fails the most accounts |
| Daily loss limit | Whether there is one, and whether breaking it fails or pauses the account | Can end an account on one bad morning |
| Consistency rule | The maximum share of profit allowed from one day                          | Can delay a pass after a big day      |
| Position size    | Max contracts, and whether it scales with profit                          | Limits how fast you can lose, and win |

## How does a trailing drawdown work?

**A trailing drawdown follows your account's highest balance, so profits raise your failure line.** Start a 50K account with a $2,000 end-of-day trailing drawdown and your failure line is $48,000\. Close a day at $51,500, and the line moves up to $49,500\. It never moves back down.

![Chart of an account balance over ten days with a trailing drawdown line $2,000 below the highest close; the account fails on day 10 when the balance falls below $49,500](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a0/84/a0847890-aa24-4d5e-b6dd-8a7b42022bb3/content/images/2026/10/trailing-drawdown-example.png)

In the example above, the trader was up $1,500 on day 5 and still failed on day 10 with the account at $49,400, because the line had climbed to $49,500\. Many firms stop trailing once the line reaches the starting balance, which is why the first goal is to build a cushion.

- **End-of-day trailing** only moves when the day closes. Open profits during the day don't raise the line.
- **Intraday trailing** moves with every new high, even mid-trade. A trade that goes $800 your way and comes back can cost you $800 of cushion without a single loss.
- **Static** drawdowns never move. They're the most forgiving and the least common.

## How much should you risk per trade?

**Risk 5–10% of the drawdown per trade.** On a $2,000 drawdown that's $100–$200, so it takes 10 to 20 losers in a row to fail.

| Risk per trade | Losers in a row to fail ($2,000 drawdown) | MNQ stop with 2 contracts |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| $100           | 20                                        | 25 points                 |
| $200           | 10                                        | 50 points                 |
| $400           | 5                                         | 100 points                |
| $1,000         | 2                                         | 250 points                |

MNQ (Micro Nasdaq) is worth $2 per point per contract. If your setup needs a 50-point stop, two contracts risk $200\. Want to trade four? Your stop has to be 25 points, or your risk doubles.

## Should you set your own daily loss limit?

**Yes, and make it tighter than the firm's.** A personal limit of 20–25% of the drawdown, $400–$500 on a $2,000 drawdown, means it takes four or five bad days to fail instead of one. When you hit it, you're done for the day. No "one more trade".

## How does the consistency rule work?

**A consistency rule caps how much of your total profit can come from your best day.** With a 40% rule, no single day can be more than 40% of your total profit when you pass or request a payout.

- Best day $1,200 on a $3,000 target: 40% exactly. You pass at $3,000.
- Best day $1,500: you need $3,750 total ($1,500 ÷ 0.40) before the rule is satisfied.
- Best day $2,000: you need $5,000 total.

The fix is simple: cap your daily profit near your rule's limit. A great day you can't use is just extra risk.

## What's a simple plan to pass?

1. **Read the rulebook.** Drawdown type, daily limit, consistency, contract limits, news rules, required closing times.
2. **Prove it on paper first.** Trade your plan in a simulator until your results hold up for several weeks.
3. **Size from the drawdown.** Pick a fixed risk per trade (5–10% of drawdown) and never change it mid-evaluation.
4. **Set daily limits.** A loss limit to protect the account, and a profit cap to respect consistency.
5. **Trade one market and one setup.** Fewer decisions, fewer mistakes.
6. **Build the cushion first.** Early profits move you away from the failure line. Protect them.
7. **Journal every trade.** Write the setup, the risk and the result, in points or dollars, the same way every time.

> **From the desk** Indy trades MNQ and keeps his public record in points on [Day Trader Income](https://www.daytraderincome.com/). Tracking points rather than dollars keeps the focus on whether the plan works, which is exactly what an evaluation is testing.

## Common mistakes that fail evaluations

- **Sizing for the target.** Trying to make $3,000 in two days means risking enough to lose $2,000 in one.
- **Not knowing the drawdown type.** Intraday trailing turns winning trades that reverse into lost cushion.
- **Revenge trading.** The fastest way to turn a red day into a failed account.
- **Trading big news without a plan.** Volatility spikes can blow through stops.
- **Ignoring the consistency rule.** Then wondering why you haven't passed at $3,400.
- **Buying resets on tilt.** Same trader, same mood, same result.

## The bottom line

Passing an evaluation is a risk management test with a profit target attached. Size from the drawdown, set daily limits, respect the consistency rule, and give it the time it takes. For the bigger picture, read [the complete guide to prop firm trading](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/prop-firm-trading/) and [how prop firms make money](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/how-do-prop-firms-make-money/).

## Go deeper

- [Trailing drawdown, explained with examples](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/trailing-drawdown-explained/): static vs end-of-day vs intraday
- [Why most traders fail prop firm evaluations](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/why-traders-fail-prop-firm-evaluations/)
- [Risk management for funded traders](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/risk-management-for-funded-traders/): the position size formula and point values
- [How much should you risk per trade?](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/how-much-to-risk-per-trade/)
- [Position sizing for futures, step by step](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/position-sizing-futures/)
- [Trading on tilt: the trading psychology guide](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/trading-on-tilt/)
- [Prop firm daily loss limits, explained](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/daily-loss-limit-prop-firm/)
- [Revenge trading: why it happens and how to stop](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/revenge-trading/)
- [Prop firm consistency rules, explained](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/prop-firm-consistency-rule/)
- [Paper trading on TradingView](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/paper-trading-tradingview/)
- [Your first week as a funded trader](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/first-week-funded-trader/)
- [Overtrading: how to spot it and stop it](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/overtrading/)
- [Day trading strategies for futures: the complete guide](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/day-trading-strategies/)
- [What is a funded trading account?](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/what-is-a-funded-account/)
- [What is a scaling plan?](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/scaling-plan-prop-firm/)
- [What is a reset?](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/prop-firm-reset/)
- [Futures market hours](https://www.flltlt.com/blog/futures-market-hours/)

## FAQ

### How long does it take to pass a prop firm evaluation?

It depends on the firm and on you. Many futures firms have no time limit but require a minimum number of trading days. Traders who pass usually take weeks, not days, because they size small enough to survive bad days.

### Can you pass a prop firm evaluation in one day?

Some firms allow it, but consistency rules and minimum trading days often block a one-day pass. Even where it is allowed, the size needed to make the whole target in one day is usually big enough to fail the account in one trade.

### What happens if I break a rule during an evaluation?

Breaking a hard rule like the maximum drawdown usually fails the account immediately. Softer rules, like a consistency rule, may just delay your pass until your numbers line up. Check your firm's rulebook for which is which.

### Should I trade micros or minis in an evaluation?

Micros let you size much more precisely. One MNQ contract is a tenth of an NQ contract, so you can trade the same setup with risk that actually fits your drawdown.

### Is it worth paying for a reset?

Only if you know why the account failed and you have changed something. A reset bought right after an angry loss usually fails the same way.