Will my EA pass a prop-firm challenge?

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Published 11 November 2026 · methods v2.5 · by TrueTest

Prop-firm challenges usually end on two numbers: a daily loss limit and a maximum total loss, each set by the firm (read your firm's own rules: they differ). A backtest can tell you a lot about how an EA's losses behave. It cannot tell you that a challenge will pass.

Test my EA free first See a full example first

Drop your .mq5/.mq4 code, a Python bot or an MT5 report on the home page. The first read takes seconds and needs no sign-up; the lab verdict is free too. Only the detailed technical report is paid (the full PDF report is GBP 49). The price shown is the total price: no VAT is added. TrueTest is not VAT-registered in the UK. We read your code as text and never run it as given; an outside AI service drafts the rule card only if you tick the box (see Security). Not financial advice.

What can a backtest tell me?

Depth of the drawdowns and how often they come, at a known lot size.
Worst days: a strategy whose worst day is near the firm's daily limit fails on an ordinary bad day.
Hidden risk: grids and martingales often pass a short challenge and then lose the funded account. Our checks flag them (how).
Whether the edge is more than luck after counting the versions you tried.

How do lot size and drawdown connect?

Our lab trades every signal of the rebuild at a fixed 0.01 lot and judges it as a GBP 1,000 account; your EA's own lot-size rule is not copied (martingale or grid sizing is flagged as a code fault). With fixed lots, a bigger account gives the same money figures and smaller percentages, and a bigger fixed lot makes both bigger in the same proportion. So scale with care: if a backtest at 0.01 lot on a GBP 1,000 account had a 6% drawdown, the same trades at 0.05 lot on the same account are a 30% drawdown.

What can a backtest not tell me?

That the next 30 days will look like the average month: a challenge is short, so luck plays a large part.
The firm's own fills, spreads and rules (news trading, weekend holding, minimum days).
Whether you will follow the rules when the account is down.

What is a sensible order?

Check the code for faults and martingale sizing.
Test with real and extra costs over many years, and look at the worst days and drawdowns.
Size the trades so the worst historical drawdown is well inside the firm's limit.
Forward-test unchanged on new prices before paying for a challenge.

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Questions people ask

Do you test for a particular prop firm's rules?

No. We show drawdowns, worst periods and risk shapes; compare them with your own firm's limits.

Can a martingale EA pass a challenge?

It can, because martingales win most of the time; the rare large loss is what ends funded accounts. We flag that shape as HIDDEN RISK.

Is a smaller lot always safer?

It makes every loss smaller in the same proportion, but it does not change a strategy with no edge into one with an edge.

Is this financial advice?

No. It describes what tests can show. Not financial advice.