Five sections, one page. Walk through these before wiring the activation fee — they cover what funded traders forget on day one, and the math most evaluatees get wrong on their first attempt.
Section 01
READ THE RULES TWICE
Every prop firm defines drawdown, holding, and payout differently. Skim it once, then read the bolded threshold numbers a second time — that is where most evaluations fail.
- Total drawdown vs daily drawdown — know which is tighter
- Trailing vs static drawdown calculation
- Minimum trading days before any withdrawal
- Lot-size / contract-size caps per symbol
- News-event blackout windows
- Consistency-rule definition (firm-specific)
Section 02
COMPUTE YOUR DRAWDOWN MATH BEFORE DAY ONE
If your worst-case drawdown is more than ~30% of your target monthly profit, your position sizing is wrong for that firm. Resize before flipping the switch.
Account balance$100,000
Daily drawdown limit (e.g. 4%)-$4,000
Max open loss per trade$2,000
Contracts at risk (per signal)2 × ES
Worst-day target profit+$1,500
Section 03
PICK YOUR CONSISTENCY RULE (BY FIRM)
A single "best day" can wipe a five-day run if your consistency rule is strict. Match the rule to the firm, then size to fit it.
| Firm | Total DD | Daily DD | Consistency Rule | Weekend Hold |
|---|
| Apex | 2.5% trailing | $2,500 EOD | Best-day vs total-profit cap | Yes (fee) |
| FTMO | 10% overall | 5% trailing | No min, no cap | Yes |
| Topstep | 2.5% trailing | $1,000 | Best-day vs other-days ratio | No |
| MFF | 3% trailing | $2,000 | Single-trade cap | Yes (fee) |
Section 04
PRE-FUND CHECKLIST & DAY-1 PLAN
The seven things funded traders forget before flipping the switch the first morning.
- Broker portal login saved, 2FA enabled
- Payout eligibility date confirmed (Day X)
- Risk-per-trade pre-set in platform
- Overnight-hold policy reviewed by firm
- News-event calendar exported (CSV)
- Backup internet / failover laptop ready
- Day-1 commitment: max 2 trades, no overrides
Section 05
OR SKIP THE EVALUATION ENTIRELY
If a $100K managed account with 80/20 monthly payouts and zero screen time fits your goal, Team POW's DFY program is the shortcut.
- One-time $15K activation, no monthly challenge fees
- No evaluation phase — funded within ~1 week
- POW's algo suite runs 24/5 across crude, NG, ES, gold, bonds
- 80% member share of monthly net profit, paid out automatically
- 1M+ withdrawn, 459 Trustpilot reviews (4.7★)
Skip the evaluation — go funded in ~1 week.
$100K managed account · 80/20 monthly payouts · zero screen time
Apply for $100K Account →
Prepared by Camrin at Team POW · pow-dfy.com/lead-magnet