Sizing for a prop-firm challenge.

The short answer.

Start from the account's maximum loss limit, not the profit target. A size that ignores the drawdown limit can fail a challenge in a single bad week, even when the month ends positive.

This guide is for information and education only. It contains no performance figures and no recommendation for your account.

Plan-specific evaluation rules.

Compare the named plan, not just the firm's name. These evaluation figures were checked against official documentation on November 11, 2026. They are not funded-account or payout rules. Follow the official source links below and confirm the terms for your own purchase.

• These are the named evaluation plans, not funded-account or payout rules. Other products, add-ons and older purchases may differ. A figure in this table does not confirm availability in your location.
• Drawdown is a trailing floor, not a fresh loss allowance each day. Check the current breach level and whether unrealized P&L can trigger a breach, even when the floor updates at end of day.
• Daily limits, consistency tests, contract caps, news restrictions and payout eligibility are separate rules. This table is not a complete rulebook.
• Tradeify Select 50K shows the current $3,000 target. The official guide says purchases before its new dashboard launch retain their original $2,500 target, including on reset.

A simple way to choose a size.

Work out, before you start, how many losing trades in a row your size can survive inside the maximum loss limit, and leave room for a stretch worse than you expect.

• One NQ point is worth $20; one MNQ point is worth $2.
• Example: with a $1,000 maximum loss and a 20-point stop, one MNQ risks about $40 per trade (24 full losses before touching the limit); two MNQ risk about $80 (12 full losses before breach); one NQ risks about $400 (2 full losses before breach). These examples exclude costs and assume a fixed floor; the next equal loss reaches or exceeds the limit.
• Smaller size passes more slowly but survives more losing streaks. A failed evaluation costs a new fee and restarts the clock.
• Include commissions and slippage: they take a larger share of small stops.

Read the fine print of your firm.

Firms differ, and their rules change. Before you start, confirm each of these on your firm's current rules page.

• Intraday trailing drawdown: some firms trail open, unrealized profit, which is stricter than an end-of-day drawdown.
• Daily loss limits can end a trading day, or an account, before the maximum loss is reached.
• Consistency rules, minimum trading days and payout rules change how long a challenge and a payout take.
• Trading hours and news restrictions differ between firms.
• Costs: commissions, data fees and slippage reduce results.

Questions prop traders ask.

• Will a certain size pass my challenge? Nobody can promise that. Markets can produce a worse stretch than anything you have seen before.
• Why not trade bigger to pass faster? Bigger sizes can pass faster but fail more often, and every failed evaluation costs a new fee.
• Can I copy trades into several funded accounts? That depends on each firm's rules on copy trading and multiple accounts. Check them first.
• Is NQ Research House affiliated with any prop firm? No. We do not recommend or endorse a specific firm.