How to Pass the Topstep Combine
The drawdown math, the consistency line and the boring routine that actually gets evaluations passed.
Rules based on Topstep's help center (checked September 27, 2026) · 10 min read
New to funded futures trading? See the full ranked comparison of the best futures prop firms — drawdown type, payout speed and real withdrawal proof for every firm I trade.
Read the ranked guideDisclosure: I am not a Topstep partner and have no Topstep code. My prop firm partners are FundedNext, Tradeify and Apex, and links to them may earn me a commission. Topstep changes rules often — confirm the current rulebook before you buy. Nothing here guarantees a pass.
On a $50K Combine you need $3,000 profit without touching a $2,000 trailing Maximum Loss Limit, and your best day must stay at or below 55% of total profit (under $1,650). Risk about $100–$200 per trade, stop for the day after two losses, cap good days around $700–$900, and expect it to take 6–10 sessions. Slow is the fast way through.
What you're actually being tested on
The Combine has one hard rule and two objectives. The rule: your balance can never touch the Maximum Loss Limit. The objectives: hit the Profit Target and meet the Consistency Target. Everything else — contract limits, the optional Daily Loss Limit, the 3:10 PM CT cut-off — supports those three. The full breakdown by account size lives in my Topstep rules guide; this page is about how to trade inside them.
Here's the honest framing I'd give a friend: Topstep isn't testing whether you can make $3,000. Plenty of people make $3,000 in an afternoon on NQ. It's testing whether you can make it without one emotional session undoing a week of work.
Step 1: Respect how the drawdown trails
The Maximum Loss Limit follows your end-of-day balance high. Finish day one at $50,600 and your floor moves from $48,000 to $48,600. It never moves back down, and it stops trailing once it reaches $50,000.
The trap: traders up $1,200 who give back $900 the next day still have a green account — but their room to the floor is now much smaller than when they started. That's why a personal daily loss stop matters more than any entry technique. If trailing drawdown is new to you, read trailing drawdown explained.
Step 2: Size every trade before the open
Decide your dollar risk per trade, then work backwards to contracts and stop distance. Here's how that looks against the $2,000 limit (approximate values: MNQ $2/pt, MES $5/pt, NQ $20/pt, ES $50/pt):
| Risk | Nasdaq example | S&P example | Room before the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 per trade | 5 MNQ × 10 pts | 4 MES × 5 pts | 20 full losses |
| $200 per trade | 5 MNQ × 20 pts | 8 MES × 5 pts | 10 full losses |
| $400 per trade | 2 NQ × 10 pts | 2 ES × 4 pts | 5 full losses |
I'd sit in the $100–$200 range. At $400 per trade, a normal three-loss morning takes 60% of your drawdown — and you'll be trading the rest of the evaluation scared. Contract sizing for micros is covered in MNQ vs NQ and MES vs ES.
Step 3: Put a ceiling on good days
The 55% consistency target doesn't fail you, but it moves the finish line: your target becomes Best Day ÷ 0.55. A $2,000 day on a $50K pushes your target to about $3,636. So a huge day doesn't speed things up as much as it feels like it should.
My rule of thumb: once you're up around $700–$900 on the day, you're done. That keeps you far from the line, and it also stops the classic pattern of giving back a great morning in the afternoon chop. More on how firms handle this in prop firm consistency rules.
Step 4: Trade fewer, better locations
Most failed Combines I see in the Discord have the same fingerprint: 15–25 trades a day, entries in the middle of the range, and a revenge trade after the second loss. The fix isn't a new indicator — it's deciding where you're willing to trade before the session starts.
Before the open I mark a handful of levels on ES and NQ: prior value area highs and lows, the point of control, overnight highs and lows, and obvious liquidity. Then I only engage when price reaches one and the footprint shows a reaction — absorption, delta shifting, or a failed push. Two or three trades at good locations beat twenty in no-man's-land. The method is explained in orderflow trading explained and volume profile trading.
If preparation is where you lose time: I post the exact HTF and intraday ES & NQ levels I'm watching every day inside Sato VIP. It's preparation and context, not trade signals — your entries, confirmation and risk stay your decisions, and no level set makes passing a sure thing.
Step 5: A simple daily routine for the Combine
- Before the open: mark levels, check the economic calendar, write down your risk per trade.
- First hour: only trade reactions at your levels. No level, no trade.
- Two losses: done for the day. Not a break — done.
- Profit cap hit: done for the day, even if the next setup looks perfect.
- After the close: note your best day vs the 55% line and your distance to the loss limit.
Consider adding Topstep's optional Daily Loss Limit if you know you revenge trade — it forces you flat for the session. It's chosen at checkout and can't be changed later. The mental side is covered in trading psychology for funded accounts.
Why the 2-day pass is a bad goal
Searches for "pass the Topstep Combine in 2 days" are common, and I get why. But with a 55% consistency target, two days only work if they're nearly equal — around $1,500 each on a $50K. That means sizing up to $400–$500 risk per trade on day one, where two losing trades take you halfway to the floor. Even when it works, you carry that habit into the funded account, where blowing up hurts more. The numbers behind this are in risk of ruin for funded accounts.
After you pass
Passing moves you to an Express Funded Account with its own payout paths — see Topstep payouts. Keep the same sizing for the first few weeks; the goal shifts from hitting a target to building a buffer above the drawdown.
Still deciding which firm to take an evaluation with? Compare drawdown types, targets and costs in my best futures prop firms ranking, or see Topstep vs Apex.
Topstep Combine FAQ
How do you pass the Topstep Combine?+
Reach the Profit Target ($3,000 on a $50K) without your balance touching the Maximum Loss Limit, while keeping your best day at or below 55% of total profit. In practice that means small, repeatable risk per trade, a personal daily stop and a daily profit cap well under the consistency line.
Can you pass the Topstep Combine in 2 days?+
Mathematically it's hard: with a 55% consistency target, two days only work if they are close to equal — for example $1,500 and $1,500. Most traders who chase a two-day pass oversize, and one bad trade costs them the account. Plan for 6–10 normal sessions instead.
What is the biggest mistake in the Topstep Combine?+
Treating the $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit as a daily budget. Because it trails your end-of-day balance high, giving back profits shrinks your room. Size so a normal losing day costs a fraction of the drawdown, not most of it.
What happens if my best day is above 55%?+
You don't fail. Your Profit Target rises to Best Day ÷ 0.55. An $1,800 best day on a $50K means you need $3,273 total, so you simply keep trading.
Should I add the optional Daily Loss Limit?+
For most traders who struggle with revenge trading, yes — it forces you flat for the day. It is chosen at checkout and can't be changed later, so decide before you buy. Check Topstep's current rules for the amounts.
Should I trade micros or minis in the Combine?+
Start with micros. MNQ and MES let you size risk in small steps and keep losing days small. Micros and minis count at a 10:1 ratio toward the contract limit.
Is Topstep the easiest futures prop firm to pass?+
Not necessarily — the rule set is simple, but the consistency target and monthly billing are trade-offs. Compare drawdown types and targets across firms in my best futures prop firms ranking. Disclosure: I partner with FundedNext, Tradeify and Apex, not Topstep.