Tips for Passing a Funded Trading Plus Challenge

A few weeks ago, I started a prop trading challenge with Funded Trading Plus.

I am an affiliate with this firm, and made the decision to help increase awareness of this prop firm, because I think it’s one of the most realistic prop trading models for both the trader and the firm. The trader is given minimal rules while drawdown rules protect the firm from losing money on funded accounts. It’s a win-win for both parties.

[Use code “DFX10” to get 10% off of your challenge with Funded Trading Plus]

Unlike most prop firms, Funded Trading Plus’ challenges don’t come with a time limit.

This is huge!

A lack of time is one of the reasons why so many traders fail their FTMO or MyForexFunds challenges. When you need to meet a quota (and a large quota at 10%, mind you), suddenly you’re dealing with psychological challenges that exceed the mere feat of trading for profit.

I speak from experience, having both failed and passed 30-day prop trading models. The strategy I used gave signals maybe two or three times a week (which leads to a better win rate, but perhaps not at a speed that will meet the profit requirement in 30 days) – In order to pass I bumped up a more conservative 0.50-1% risked per trade to 2% or more.

I believe many 30-day challenges force traders to trade recklessly or change the way they trade in order to meet a quota that most investment firms would be overjoyed to hit in 6 months.

Thus, many traders fail. Some pass, but most return to more conservative trading styles in order to stay funded.

Now Funded Trading Plus is pummeling the prop trading industry to make challenges more realistic.

With no time limit or minimum time requirement, you can hit the 10% profit target in as much or as little time as you like, so long as you commit to avoiding the (currently) 3% daily drawdown and 6% overall relative drawdown.

Thus, my trading plan for this challenge is to take very small positions at a slow pace. (If you want to trade my strategy with me and be able to chat with me through your journey, join the DFX Scalping Course)

Whether it takes two months or a whole year, I don’t mind waiting to achieve a funded account because instead of letting the prop firm dictate my trading plan, I can trade in a style that I know is responsible, strategic in how much is risked per trade, and lets the market decide when I will profit.

With this model, I don’t need to pray that this month’s market will fit my strategies and preference for trend-following. I can stick around for the better months and survive through the ones that aren’t a fit for my style.

So here I am, three weeks into trading this challenge, and as I evaluate what’s working and not working, I have a few tips to share with you that you’ll want to keep in mind when trading with this particular prop firm’s challenges.

5 Tips to Pass a Funded Trading Plus Challenge

1. Trade according to a strategy that works for you, not what will offer the quickest return

As I mentioned above, Funded Trading Plus offers unlimited time to pass your challenge.

In this way, you don’t need to change your style in order to pass. If you prefer to wait for perfect day trading setups, you don’t need to force yourself to learn how to scalp in order to meet a deadline.

If you like trading the London session more than New York, then focus on that, you don’t need to stretch yourself to do both.

The key is to trade in a way that’s familiar and comfortable for you and doesn’t pull on your heartstrings much when you lose.

From there, use statistics from the strategies that work for you to help you decide what strategy you’ll use for this challenge.

Note: It’s important to remember that this firm offers 1:30 leverage, so if you’re scalping, you may need to risk less than what you’re used to in order to avoid using too much margin or accumulating too many commission costs.funded trading plus

2. Don’t worry about finishing according to a schedule

Let me repeat – let the market decide when your strategy will let you win.

Adding a time limit only frustrates and causes stress. This stress may inspire you to break your trading rules in order to speed up the process.

We don’t want that. It’s a recipe for disaster (again, speaking from experience).

Some of my best trading occurs when I get into a tempo – for me, this means getting one or two signals a day, at least 3 out of 5 days a week. When I try to break this tempo, by adding more strategies or instruments to trade, it throws me off.

You shouldn’t need to change how you trade in order to meet a challenge. Ideally, you want to go into a challenge with your strategy all laid out, with no surprises.

Be prepared to let the market guide you – be okay with passing in one month or five. Your strategy and risk management tactics will help you be able to predict how long you’ll need, but stay flexible in the event it takes longer than planned.

A relaxed trader can make more rational trading decisions than one that is stressed and feels rushed.

3. Download the MT4/MT5 tools specifically created for the 8-Cap platform

Funded Trading Plus has options in the FAQ section to download a position size calculator that you can use on your demo account.

Even if, like me, you depend on a Trading View chart or some other charting service to make your trading decisions, you’ll want to be able to quickly execute orders on the MT4 or MT5 platform for the challenge.

funded trading plusA position size calculator is a magnificent tool for minimizing the number of inputs you need to type before submitting an order.

The firm has instructions on how to install and use this and other tools found in their FAQ section.

4. Make sure you completely understand the rules for both the challenge and the funded account that follows.

While we’re on the topic, just go ahead and read the whole FAQ section. Study its contents like a final exam that’s going to pass or fail your senior year of high school. Neither a year of high school nor a prop trading challenge is enjoyable to repeat, you might as well do it right the first time.

If you need to wait to prepare for your challenge, that’s a smart move, too.

Funded Trading Plus has account rules that are slightly different from most of the popular prop firms available. You need to make sure you understand when and how their relative drawdown works.

It may take a few times to understand exactly how their relative drawdown and withdrawal rules play out, but I think I summarized it properly in this article.

If anything seems unclear, reach out to Funded Trading Plus’ support team. They’re friendly and can give you the most accurate answers, better than anything you’ll hear second-hand from myself or other traders.

5. Risk less than you think you should

Assuming you are using a profitable strategy (which you know works because you’re already comfortable trading it live), you probably have an idea of how it performs on a day-to-day basis.

While you’re trading a small account, let’s say $5,000, you may be comfortable risking 2-3% per trade. While professional traders recommend risking less, it’s understandable to risk $150 on a trade. It’s far easier to find a way to make back $150 in the real world than it is $6,000, should you trade the same 3% on a $200k account.

However, while time gives you freedom, Funded Trading Plus doesn’t want you to go nuts – they have a strict 3% daily drawdown rule, which is far tighter than FTMO’s 5% or MFF’s 6%.

 

My advice: risk up to half of what you think you need.

So if you think you’re comfortable risking up to 2% per day, see if you can get it down to 1% or less. And that’s if you’re taking only one, maybe two trades.

I suggest this because this prop firm is asking you to think long-term. Their rules are set up to filter the profitable traders from the one-hit wonders and irresponsible ones. You’re going to need to prove that your discipline and your strategy are profitable over the long run. If you combine small risk per trade with the bonus suggestion below, you’ll be golden.

If you’re scalping or trading in a way where you can get multiple signals in one day after many days of nothing, you may need to risk 0.75% per trade or less.

In my ideal model of 1-2 trades a day occurring over 3-5 days per week, I would risk no more than 0.75% per trade.

BONUS: Use strategies that let you maximize your profit return.

This is why I like trend-following strategies – because you can take partial exits at fixed points and then let the rest run with a trailing stop. Or with a rule, like closing the rest of the trade after it pulls back and closes over a moving average.

By maximizing your return per trade, you can risk as little as possible and still hit the profit target in a reasonable amount of time. You won’t be stressed out like traders who are using the small-account rule of 2% per trade.

Final Thoughts

There are prop firms out there that are making bank off of the human desire to make money fast.

You can avoid this trap altogether by not prop trading.

However, prop trading can also be a really great way to make income comparable to a salary without having to amass a ton of equity. It can be a bridge to building up your own large account.

I believe Funded Trading Plus offers one of the most realistic structures for a trading challenge that you can find. If you are responsible, patient, and willing to navigate the expedition with courage, a funded account is waiting for you out there in your future.