# What is Evaluation?

> Also called: Challenge, Combine, Assessment, Audition

**In short.** An evaluation is the paid test a prop firm runs before funding a trader: reach a profit target without breaching the maximum drawdown, the daily loss limit or the trading rules, in one, two or three phases. Pass it and the firm opens a funded account; breach a rule and the account is closed, with a reset fee to try again.

**On today's board.** 14 of the 14 firms on the board sell at least one account with an evaluation. Data checked October 15, 2026.

The target is usually 6 to 10 % of the nominal size, the maximum drawdown 2 to 5 %. The ratio between the two decides how hard the test is: a $3,000 target with a $2,000 trailing drawdown means one bad week ends the attempt. Some firms add a minimum number of trading days, a consistency rule or a cap on the best day.

Monthly evaluations cost more the longer you take: two months at $150 is $300 plus any reset. One-time evaluations cost the same whether you pass in a week or a quarter. The evaluation-cost calculator on this site adds months, resets and activation for every account of a given size.

The evaluation is passed on the rules, not on the entries. Size from the drawdown, stop the day well before the daily loss limit, and know the flat-before-close and news rules before the first trade.

## Questions traders ask

### How long does a prop firm evaluation take?

As long as it takes to hit the target without breaking a rule. Many firms have no maximum duration on monthly plans; some set a minimum of trading days. A one-step evaluation at a reasonable size is typically passed in two to six weeks by a trader who sizes correctly.

- Guides on this term: [How to pass a futures prop firm evaluation](https://fillprint.io/en/journal/how-to-pass-a-futures-prop-firm-evaluation)
- Guides on this term: [How many contracts to trade on a prop firm account](https://fillprint.io/en/journal/position-sizing-for-prop-firm-drawdown)
- Calculators: [Prop firm evaluation cost calculator](https://fillprint.io/en/tools/evaluation-cost)
- Calculators: [Position size calculator for prop firm accounts](https://fillprint.io/en/tools/position-size)
- Shortlists: [The cheapest futures prop firms](https://fillprint.io/en/prop-firms/best/cheapest)
- Shortlists: [Prop firms with no monthly fee](https://fillprint.io/en/prop-firms/best/no-monthly-fee)
- Read next: [Profit target](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/profit-target)
- Read next: [Trailing drawdown](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/trailing-drawdown)
- Read next: [Reset fee](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/reset-fee)
- Read next: [Funded account](https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/funded-account)

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Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. fillprint is an independent publication, not a broker or a prop firm.

Some links are affiliate links: if you sign up through them, the firm or DeepCharts pays us a commission, at no extra cost to you, and often with a discount for you. Affiliate links are marked and carry rel="sponsored". Being an affiliate never moves a firm up the board. Firms without a program stay listed, marked “no affiliation”.

HTML: https://fillprint.io/en/glossary/evaluation · Prop firm data: fundedyield.com · © fillprint