Prop Firm Pass Rates: What the Published Numbers Say
Pass rate is quoted two completely different ways, which is why you see 5% in one place and 20% in another. Both can be true at once.
Published figures put evaluation pass rates in the region of 5% to 15% per attempt depending on the firm and the format. FPFX Tech, whose published dataset covers more than 300,000 evaluation accounts across ten firms, reports 14% of traders passing an evaluation and 7% ever receiving a payout. Per-attempt and per-trader rates are different measurements and are often compared as if they were the same one.
Where is my fail line?
Static floor = starting balance − drawdown. Trailing floor = highest balance − drawdown (firms differ on whether the drawdown is a percentage of the starting size or of the peak, and on whether it locks once you are in profit — check your own account's terms).
Which drawdown type each firm uses
Can you do it without the calculator?
Three questions, the numbers rolled each time, no signup. The working is shown either way, so a wrong answer still teaches you the sum.
Pick one.
The two numbers, and why they disagree
A per-attempt rate asks what share of evaluations end in a pass. A per-trader rate asks what share of people eventually get funded, counting everyone who tried more than once. A firm whose traders often buy a second attempt can show a low per-attempt rate and a higher per-trader one from the same data.
A third number matters more than either: the share who are ever paid. Passing is a milestone. A payout is the outcome.
What is actually published
FPFX Tech, whose published dataset covers more than 300,000 evaluation accounts across ten firms, reports 14% of traders passing an evaluation and 7% ever receiving a payout. Other published estimates put per-attempt rates between roughly 5% and 15%, with one-phase and futures formats generally reported higher than two-phase forex formats. Firms rarely publish their own figures, so treat any precise single number, including ours, as an estimate with a range around it.
The finding that should change how you prepare
The commonly reported pattern is that most failures happen early and are caused by a daily loss limit breach, not by running out of time against the profit target. That is a rule failure, not a market failure, and it means the first week is about survival rather than progress.
It also means the thing worth rehearsing is not your entry. It is how your position size behaves against a daily limit on a bad morning.
Chart Bound's Prop Arena runs a simulated evaluation against each firm's own published rules, over real tape, free. It is the cheapest way to find out whether the rules suit you before a fee is involved.
Play free, no signup →What to do with the number
- Pick the format whose failure mode you are least exposed to. A tight daily loss limit punishes size; a trailing drawdown punishes giving back.
- Size for the daily limit first and the target second. The target has no deadline that can end you in one session.
- Rehearse the rulebook before paying for it. Our comparison has each firm's own published rules, and the free Prop Arena enforces them while you trade.
We are not affiliated with any firm and we do not rank them.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of traders pass a prop firm challenge?
Published figures sit roughly between 5% and 15% per attempt depending on firm and format. FPFX Tech, whose published dataset covers more than 300,000 evaluation accounts across ten firms, reports 14% passing an evaluation.
What percentage of funded traders get paid?
In the same published dataset, 7% of all traders ever received a payout. Passing and being paid are different milestones.
Why do the numbers vary so much between sources?
Because per-attempt and per-trader rates are different measurements, and because formats differ. A one-phase futures evaluation and a two-phase forex evaluation are not the same test.
What causes most failures?
Reported patterns point to daily loss limit breaches early in the evaluation rather than missed profit targets. That is a sizing and rules problem, which is the good news, because both are practisable.
Embed this calculator on your site
Free to use, on any site, with no signup: paste this one line where you want the tool to appear. It loads our hosted version, so it stays up to date, and the link under it credits back to this page.
420×620 by default and it scales down to fit a narrower column. Please keep the attribution link.
Keep learning
Chart Bound's Prop Arena runs a simulated evaluation against each firm's own published rules, over real tape, free. It is the cheapest way to find out whether the rules suit you before a fee is involved.
Play free, no signup →