The first time I passed an FTMO challenge felt a lot like my first profitable month back in 2021. It wasn't about one massive win. It was about a string of small, disciplined trades that simply didn't blow up. Everyone asks me how to pass prop firm challenge, and they always expect a complex answer about indicators or secret entries. They're asking the wrong question. The real game isn't hitting the 10% profit target; it's about religiously avoiding the 5% daily drawdown. That's the barrier. That's the entire test.

I failed my first six challenges. Every single one ended the same way: a red screen telling me I'd breached the daily loss limit. I was chasing the profit target. I'd have a good day, get up 1.5%, and then try to force another trade to get to 2%. Bad idea. The psychology of that 10% goal is a trap, and as Emma Blackwood often writes about, trading psychology is where most battles are lost. FTMO knows this. They give you a big juicy target and a tight daily leash. Your only job is to ignore the target and respect the leash. Once I flipped that switch in my brain, everything changed.

• My Max Daily Loss: 1%. Not the 5% they allow. If I lose 1% of the starting balance, the platform is closed for the day. No exceptions.
• Risk Per Trade: 0.5%. This gives me at least two shots before I hit my personal daily limit. It kills the urge to 'make it all back' on one trade.
• Trade Frequency: 2-3 Setups Max. I only trade the London and New York opens on pairs like EUR/USD and GBP/USD. If I don't see an A+ setup, I don't trade.

This is the core of my funded trader strategy. It’s boring. It's slow. But it works. I aim for a 1:2 risk/reward, so one winning trade of 0.5% risk nets me 1%. If I can do that just a few times a week and ruthlessly cut my losers, the 10% target takes care of itself over 30 days. Sometimes, if the forex majors are dead quiet, I'll check the chart for Gold (XAU/USD). The volatility can be useful, but I only take a trade if it lines up with the kind of fundamental analysis Viktor Reyes provides. Otherwise, I stick to my plan.

Stop trying to be a hero. Stop trying to pass in three days. I've received over $180k in payouts by being the most boring trader I know. The firms don't want gunslingers; they want risk managers. Prove you're one of them. So, is the entire prop firm model built on traders chasing unrealistic profits, or is it actually a fair test of professional risk management?