How We Passed 5 Prop Evals in 4 Days (With the Algo Throttled)
Between June 8 and 11, 2026, we passed five live prop firm evals — four Topstep and one Apex — all running Falcon AI's rules-based SMC system on MNQ, and all deliberately throttled the entire time to respect the 50% consistency rule. Below we break down two of the Topstep accounts in full detail (every trade, every red day); the certificates and full P&L calendars are on our Verified Proof section.
Here's the part that makes this worth reading whether you use our tools or not: we had the system throttled the entire time. Most "I passed my eval" posts show you the green. This one is about the brake pedal.
Two of the five, unedited
Here are two of the four Topstep accounts in full — real trades, real red days. (The other two Topstep evals and the Apex eval passed in the same June 8–11 window; certificates are in the Verified Proof section.)
| Account | Config | Result | Trades | Worst Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account 1 | EXT-PRIME15 · 15M · 9 AM–1 PM ET | +$3,717 in its first week of trading | 36 | −$1,024 |
| Account 2 | GOLDEN15 · 15M · 10 AM–1 PM ET | +$4,139 over two weeks | 56 | −$1,022 |
Both accounts had a losing day — the same one, in fact (June 8). Both calendars show it. If you've seen our honesty banner you know why we lead with that: we don't sell backtests — we sell what we trade, and real trading includes red.
What "throttled" means — and why we did it
The Topstep consistency rule on the Combine says your single best day can't exceed 50% of your total profit — one big day just raises the total you need to pass. Most traders treat that as an obstacle. It's actually a forcing function for the single most important skill in prop trading: not needing hero days.
Our approach: when an account was having a strong run, we paused it. On June 11 itself we paused one account mid-session at 11:15 AM — and that pause turned out to be worth roughly $1,300, because the afternoon turned into news-driven chop (a hot PPI print plus geopolitical headlines) that punished everything still trading.
The math of passing with a throttle on: if your best day is $1,838, you need $3,676 in total profit before the consistency math clears. Small, repeatable sessions get you there faster than one monster day that resets the bar higher.
What actually passed the evals
Not aggression. Selection. The engine scores 12 confluence factors — market structure breaks, order blocks, liquidity sweeps, and session timing among them — and only fires when enough of them agree. On the choppy days that wreck most eval attempts, that filter simply takes fewer trades. On June 11, the engine fired exactly 4 signals all day.
Fewer trades on bad days isn't a bug. It's the entire reason those accounts survived long enough to pass.
Three takeaways that work without our tools
- Respect the consistency rule from day one. Cap your daily target around 40–45% of where your total needs to be, and the rule never blocks you — during the eval or at payout.
- Let small sessions stack. Both accounts passed on modest average days. The eval is a marathon designed to look like a sprint.
- Demand losing-day transparency from anyone selling you a system. A vendor who only shows green days is showing you marketing, not trading.
Common questions
Yes — Topstep and Apex both support automated trading, and rules-based systems suit evals because they enforce consistent sizing and remove revenge-trading. We passed five (4 Topstep + 1 Apex) across June 8–11 with trading deliberately paused on strong days. Always verify your firm's current Terms of Service before automating.
It varies. One of our accounts passed within its first week of trading; the other took two weeks because we deliberately throttled strong days. There is no guaranteed timeline, and individual results vary.
There's no required number — sizing matters more. Our two passing accounts ran roughly 70–90% daily win rates, but both absorbed a ~−$1,000 losing day without breaking, because no single day was oversized. That's the real lesson.
The Certified Funded Trader certificates and full P&L calendars (red days visible) are in the Verified Proof section, and our Discord posts every session's results daily — wins and losses.
Five evals, four days, throttle on. The headline isn't the certificates — it's that the boring version of trading is the one that passes: similar-sized wins, fewer trades on chop days, and a filter that refuses bad entries even when you're impatient.
If you're working on an eval right now, start with the consistency math before your first trade. And if you want the engine that produced those calendars doing the selection for you, the trial is free for 14 days — our full Topstep guide is free forever.
Live results from our own accounts, June 2026. Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Individual results vary. Falcon AI provides educational tools and signals — not financial advice. Topstep and Apex are trademarks of their respective owners; Falcon AI is not affiliated with either.