1 Step Funded Trading Evaluation

A 1 step evaluation is a single-phase funded trading challenge. You buy an evaluation, trade futures for a minimum number of days, hit the profit target without breaching the maximum drawdown, and you activate a funded account. There is no Phase 2, no separate verification round, no second target to chase.

Most prop firms run a two-step model: a Phase 1 with a high target, a Phase 2 with a softer target, then verification. That can stretch to three or four weeks of trading just to reach activation. The 1 step model is the shortcut: pass once, activate, start earning.

The trade-off is the drawdown style. ETF's 1 Step plan uses a live trailing maximum drawdown that follows your highest unrealized profit. That is the most aggressive trailing style on the market, which is why this plan sits at the experienced end of the trader spectrum.

The biggest decision before buying a funded evaluation is how many phases you are willing to trade through, and how aggressive a drawdown you can manage in exchange for speed.

Neither model is automatically better. 2 Step plans give you more runway to prove a slower edge. 1 Step plans get you funded faster but punish giving back open profit. Pick the model that matches the way you actually trade, not the model that sounds easier on paper.

The same pros and cons we show on the homepage plan picker, in one place.

Three evaluation sizes. Each pairs a live trailing drawdown with a clear profit target. None carry a daily loss limit.

Evaluations are billed monthly. Repeat traders can lower the cost further through the rewards program. Check the live evaluations page for current pricing and active promotions.

The rules below apply across all three 1 Step account sizes. They are designed for experienced traders who can hit a profit target quickly without surrendering open P&L on the way there.

Full rules (including payout cycles, Active Trade Days, position limits, hedging restrictions, and LIVE ELITE transition criteria) are documented in the 1 Step Plan help article.

Your starting balance is $50,000, your live trailing drawdown is $2,000, and your profit target is $3,000.

• At the moment you open the account, your floor is $48,000. The floor will move up as your highest unrealized P&L moves up.
• You take a trade and your unrealized P&L spikes to +$1,500. Your floor has now moved to $49,500. If you give back $1,000 of that open profit, you are at $49,000, still above the floor.
• You close winners and your realized balance reaches $53,000 on or after your fifth trading day. The evaluation is passed.
• You activate your funded account, earn payouts on simulated profits, and keep 80% of profits once you reach LIVE ELITE.

The lesson the worked example teaches is simple: on a 1 Step plan, open profit is not free profit. Treat unrealized P&L like cash that is already being measured against your floor, and the live trailing drawdown becomes a tool, not a trap.

Choose a 1 Step account if you can hit a profit target in a small number of trading days, you do not regularly let open winners give back significant unrealized P&L, and you want to be funded fast. Choose a static or end-of-day plan if you prefer a drawdown that does not chase your open trades.

Most traders who blow 1 Step accounts do it the same way: they watch a +$2,000 spike turn into +$200, and the floor that climbed to chase the spike does not climb back down. If that pattern describes you, start on End of Day or Static instead. The static drawdown plan is the lowest-stress option ETF offers.