New candidates tend to improvise without preparation which leads to minor errors that develop into major rule violations. The process of passing is based on skills rather than natural ability so I have created a two-week daily plan for you to follow.
If you want a clear rules baseline while you run it, check Funding Rock for straightforward drawdown math, event windows, and fast onboarding.
Day 1: Translate the rulebook into your rules
Rewrite the firm’s terms in your words on a single page: daily loss cap, max (or trailing) drawdown, news windows, minimum trading days, and payout cadence. Set your personal guardrails tighter than the firm’s: 0.25%–0.5% risk per trade; stop for the day at two losses or −1R—whichever comes first.
Day 2: Pick one A-setup and define it in five sentences
The path to success requires clear strategies over complex ones. The strategy includes market context and trigger points and stop locations and invalidation points and an exit plan that starts at +1R and trails under the structure. A strategy that requires more than one paragraph becomes too complex for high-pressure situations.
Day 3: Platform shakedown at micro-risk
Trade tiny size to test the plumbing: symbol suffixes, stop attachment on entry, partials, hotkeys, and flatten-all. Most “surprise” failures are execution errors, not strategy flaws.
Day 4: Map levels and schedule
Mark prior day high/low, overnight extremes, weekly open, and one “do-not-trade-into” level. Look at your life schedule, too—when can you trade with full attention? Commit to those windows and skip the rest.
Day 5: News discipline and checklists
Set phone alarms for high-impact releases (CPI, FOMC, NFP). Build a start-of-session checklist: news windows, symbol, size = 1R, stop attached, emotion check. Boring saves accounts.
Day 6: Accuracy-only session
Two A-quality attempts max in the first hour. If you miss the move, accept it. Record five lines per trade: setup/context, reason, risk/plan, result, and one emotion tag (calm/rushed/hesitant/euphoric). Add a marked-up screenshot.
Day 7: First weekly review (30 minutes)
Print or export the top three winners and top three losers. For each loser: would strict rules have blocked it? If yes—discipline issue. If no—tighten the rule (e.g., “second retest only,” “no entries in first five minutes”). For winners: extract the exact tells that made them A-quality and pin them to the top of your checklist.
Day 8: Consolidation day (same plan, half risk)
Lower your risk by 20–50% for one session. This is practice in not pressing when you feel confident—a funded trader’s superpower. Keep the routine identical: levels, checklist, two A-attempts, post-trade notes.
Day 9: Equity mindset over balance
Watch equity, not just balance. Your open P/L counts against drawdown limits. If you’re near a line, flatten; don’t “wait for it to come back.” Add a platform alert at −2R and a hard lockout at −3R.
Day 10: Patience reps
Today you pass on every B-grade idea. Take only A-setups at marked levels with clean invalidation. When in doubt, skip. Track how many trades you didn’t take—that number should grow as you refine your filter.
Day 11: Cool-down protocol after a win
If you post a big green day, the next trade is the most dangerous. Enforce a five-minute cool-down: step away, water, one pass through your A-setup checklist, then resume at baseline size (no “victory doubling”).
Day 12: Micro-review loop between trades
Add a 30-second pause before the next order: A-setup? Size = 1R? News window clear? Emotion tag? If you tag “rushed/euphoric” or answer “No” twice, take a break. Process over pace.
Day 13: Simulate the finish line without forcing
If you’re close to the target, do not inflate size. Keep risk fixed; let clean trades finish the job. If you’ve already hit the target and minimum days remain, switch to micro-risk and A-setups only to protect the pass.
Day 14: Final review and funded-stage prep
Archive your journal, screenshots, and equity curve. Write one page titled “What I Repeat / What I Remove.” Plan a conservative first payout cycle for the funded account: baseline size, two A-attempts per session, strict news discipline, and a post-spike size reset.
Habits that make this plan work:
- Ten-minute prep: Mark levels, set news alarms, write a one-line plan (“Above X, buy pullbacks; below Y, fade pops”).
- Fixed risk engine: 1R locked, daily cap = 3R, stop for the day at −2R by choice.
- Two attempts in the first hour: Accuracy over activity.
- Five-line journal + screenshot: Every trade, every day.
- Weekly refinement: One behavior to repeat, one to remove—no more
What “passing on purpose” feels like
Your equity curve transforms into a staircase pattern instead of a seismograph during this period. The plan takes control of difficult decisions because you no longer need to argue with yourself.
Summary
The indicator you need is a system that functions under stressful conditions and unexpected events. The 14-day plan will guide you through a controlled risk environment while discipline becomes your primary source of strength to reach the finish line.