Prop firm challenge

Traditional trading desks compared with simulated tests

On Wall Street, traditional desks hire salaried staff to trade the company's own money. Companies that run evaluations online work in a different way. The simulated account test comes with an upfront fee that everyday traders pay. Fail the test, and you get no refund of either the evaluation fee or the activation fee.

After you pass the test, the firm hands you a funded trading account that carries its own rules. At most firms, you keep trading in a simulated account, while the company gives you part of your gains. Before paying a fee, make sure you understand how funded accounts work, so payouts make sense to you. Most evaluation buyers break a rule and never see a payout.

What is a prop firm challenge?

Picture the evaluation as a filter: can you earn money without taking reckless losses? That's what it checks. Most futures prop firms put one test phase before funding. According to Topstep's futures prop firm guide for beginners, just 16.8% of the Trading Combines finished in 2025.

Before you get a funded account, most forex prop firms ask that you pass 2 phases. The FTMO 2-Step Challenge has run as a 2-phase evaluation since 2015. At FundedNext, the $50,000 Stellar 2-Step evaluation costs $299, and the $100,000 size costs $549. FundedNext starts your reward share at 80%, and by default it asks for at least 5 trading days.

Targets, loss limits, and consistency requirements

Each test comes with a profit target, which is the dollar gain you must reach to pass. Your account closes if your balance falls beyond the maximum loss limit, which sets the lowest allowed balance. According to Topstep pricing and rules, the 50K Trading Combine requires a profit target of $3,000. At Topstep, the Maximum Loss Limit follows your end-of-day balance, rising only and never dropping back.

Firms set time limits as well, and they also set minimum trading days plus a consistency rule. A consistency rule puts a cap on how much of your total profit your single largest day can bring in. Our consistency rule calculator lets you check your daily numbers.

• The minimum at Topstep is 2 days to pass, provided your largest day remains below 55% of the target profit.
• For its 50K evaluation, Take Profit Trader asks for no fewer than 3 test days.
• Apex Trader Funding allows 30 calendar days from the date of purchase to clear its 25K evaluation.
• For a LucidPro payout, Lucid Trading limits your biggest day to 40% of cycle profit.

What do evaluations and resets cost?

Your choice is a monthly subscription that keeps running until you pass, or a single upfront fee. Certain firms charge an activation fee after you pass. Your profit split, once you're funded, shows what portion of your gains stays with you when you get paid. Use our prop firm calculator to compare the total costs of your attempts.

• At Topstep, the 50K Standard Path runs $49 each month plus $149 at activation, which makes 1 month $198 and 2 months $247.
• A 50K path is also available at Topstep for $95 a month, and it carries no activation fee along with a 90% profit split.
• Each month costs $170 for Take Profit Trader's 50K test, and a $130 PRO activation fee applies, along with an 80% split.
• One payment of $145 covers the Tradeify 50K Growth plan, while a reset runs $95, per the Details on Tradeify pricing.
• At $492, the Tradeify 50K Lightning Funded option bypasses the evaluation entirely and includes no resets.
• One payment of $172 covers Lucid Trading's 50K LucidPro, resets cost $120, and the split is 90%.
• MyFundedFutures charges $209 once for the 50K Rapid plan, and there's no activation fee.

Habits that are practical and help you pass

Set your trade size so your loss limit can hold up through a full week of losses. Oversized bets in the morning often cause failure because they reach the limit early. With smaller trades, a losing streak stays a minor setback instead of a closed account.

End your day if a big move pushes your gain close to the consistency cap set by your firm. Extra profit on a single day only raises the total profit you need to pass. Start with your firm's rulebook, so you can tell whether overnight position holding, automated tools, or news trading are banned.

None of this is investment advice. An evaluation fee buys a simulated account, and strict rules come along with it. Most evaluation buyers never receive a payout.