How futures prop firm evaluations work
An evaluation is a paid test in a simulated futures account. You trade live market data with no real money at risk, hit a profit target without breaching your account drawdown, and meet a few simple rules. Clear it and you earn a funded account. At Elite Trader Funding every evaluation runs on the same simple spine. Only the risk rules change.
Pick and pass
Choose the evaluation that fits your style, on an account from 10K to 250K. Hit the profit target over a short minimum of trading days without breaching your drawdown.
Get sim-funded
Pass and you unlock an Elite Sim-Funded account. Keep up to 100% of your simulated profits and request a payout each cycle once you meet your Active Trade Days.
Earn real capital
Reach $25,000 in cumulative payouts and you move to LIVE ELITE: our own money in a live broker account, an 80/20 split, and daily payouts on business days.
Same simulated data, same payout system, same path to live capital. The evaluation you pick just decides how your drawdown and risk limits behave. See exactly how the money moves on our payouts page.
How to choose the right evaluation
The fastest way to pick is to start from how you actually trade. Each ETF evaluation is built around a different drawdown style and risk temperament, so the right one is mostly about fit.
1-Step: get funded fastest
One evaluation phase and a live trailing drawdown that follows your highest unrealized profit. Built for experienced day traders who hit their target fast and lock it in. Sizes 50K to 250K.
Fast Track: the cheapest way in
A single 10K account, available under $100 on the End of Day variant, with one free month of funded activation. The lowest-cost way to test an edge before you scale up.
End of Day: a floor that ignores intraday noise
Your trailing drawdown only moves at the session close on realized profit, so open-profit spikes never ratchet your floor up. For traders who scale into winners and sit through the chop.
Static Drawdown: one number that never moves
A fixed loss limit set on day one that never trails your profits, so every dollar you make becomes permanent cushion. The closest thing to a real cash account and the friendliest for newer traders. Sizes 10K to 50K.
Diamond Hands: hold overnight and through the weekend
The plan built for swing traders whose edge needs more than one session. Hold positions overnight and across the weekend on a 100K account.
Direct to Funded: skip the evaluation
No test phase at all. A one-time payment unlocks a funded account immediately, so proven traders get instant access and trade straight toward a payout. The fastest start, at the highest upfront price.
Still deciding? Run the numbers.
Three free tools take the guesswork out of it: estimate your real all-in cost with the cost to get funded calculator, see how a drawdown behaves with the drawdown calculator, and pressure-test your risk with the risk of ruin calculator.
Evaluation rules to compare before buying
Before you buy, compare the three things that actually decide whether you pass: the drawdown style, whether there is a daily loss limit, and the account sizes on offer.
The three drawdown styles, in plain terms
- Live trailing: follows your highest unrealized profit, including open positions, so it rewards banking profit quickly. Used on 1-Step.
- End-of-day trailing: only ratchets up at the session close on realized profit, so intraday spikes never move your floor. Used on End of Day and Diamond Hands.
- Static: a fixed dollar floor set on day one that never trails, so every dollar of profit becomes permanent cushion. Used on Static Drawdown and the 100K Direct to Funded.
| Evaluation | Drawdown style | Daily loss limit | Account sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Step | Live trailing | None | 50K, 100K, 150K, 250K |
| Fast Track | End of Day or Static ($500) | None | 10K |
| End of Day | End-of-day trailing | Yes ($1,100 to $2,200 by size) | 50K, 100K, 150K |
| Static Drawdown | Static (fixed) | None | 10K, 25K, 50K |
| Diamond Hands | End-of-day trailing | Yes ($1,500) | 100K |
| Direct to Funded | End of Day (10K, 50K) or fixed (100K) | None | 10K, 50K, 100K |
Most evaluations share the basics: a 5 trading day minimum to pass (3 on Fast Track), up to 100% profit split, and a $47 reset (Fast Track is the exception, with no resets). They all use the same safety net, too: bank your drawdown amount plus $100 in realized profit and the drawdown is removed for payout eligibility. See what an attempt costs end to end with the cost to get funded calculator.
What happens after you pass an evaluation
Passing is the start, not the finish. Here is the path from a cleared evaluation to trading our real capital.
of your simulated profits
per trader, then you go live
to you, uncapped
The moment you pass, you unlock an Elite Sim-Funded account. You trade a simulated funded account, keep up to 100% of your profits, and request a payout each cycle once you have met your Active Trade Days (8 for your first cycle, 10 after on standard plans).
Keep stacking payouts and at $25,000 in cumulative withdrawals per trader you graduate to LIVE ELITE: our own capital in a live broker account on an 80/20 split, with uncapped payouts, daily withdrawals on business days, a $250 minimum, and our 48-hour payout approval guarantee. The cap is a doorway, not a ceiling.
Evaluation FAQ
Ready to get funded?
Use the plan picker at the top of this page for live pricing, or jump straight to the fit: 1-Step for the fastest funding, Fast Track for the cheapest entry, Static Drawdown if you are newer, or Direct to Funded to skip the test.
Estimate your cost