Passing an evaluation is math, not magic. Every major firm — FTMO, FundedNext, Topstep, Apex Trader Funding, The5ers — publishes the same three numbers: profit target, max drawdown, daily loss limit. A purpose-built prop firm journal does that arithmetic for you after every trade.

The Three Numbers That Decide Your Funding

1. Profit target — typically 8–10% for Phase 1, half that for Phase 2
2. Max drawdown — usually 10% static or trailing
3. Daily loss limit — commonly 5% of starting balance, reset each session

Miss any single one and the challenge is over. Yet most traders track these in their head until the day a floating drawdown quietly eats their buffer.

Setting It Up in 90 Seconds

Create an account with type "Prop Firm", pick your phase, and enter target/drawdown values from your firm's dashboard. The dashboard then shows live phase progress bars, distance-to-breach meters, and a consistency score — the same metrics firms review at payout.

Traders who journal daily-loss exposure breach evaluations far less often, simply because the number is visible before they click buy.

Firm-Specific Quirks Worth Journaling

• FTMO: swing accounts apply drawdown differently — log the account type
• FundedNext: streak bonuses reward consistency; track your win-streak length
• Apex: trailing drawdown on futures requires intraday equity snapshots

Keep Reading

Pair this with the best free trading journal comparison, learn the psychology side in why traders break their own rules, or automate entries with the Telegram/Discord trade logger.