My Pre-Market Routine for Passing Futures Evaluations
Levels, bias, risk limits and the no-trade checklist — before the ES & NQ open.
Updated October 11, 2026 · 9 min read
This guide contains no affiliate links. It describes my own preparation for ES and NQ on evaluations and funded accounts — not a promise of results. Check your firm's current rulebook for news and trading-hour rules. Not financial advice.
Before the open I do four things: mark my HTF and intraday liquidity levels, set a bias and the price that cancels it, write down today's risk limits, and check the news calendar. If price doesn't reach my levels or my setup doesn't appear, I don't trade. That last rule saves more evaluations than any entry technique.
Most failed evaluations aren't lost on a bad setup — they're lost on an unprepared open. You sit down, price is moving, and you start making decisions you never planned. A pre-market routine moves those decisions to a calm moment before the bell. Here's mine, step by step.
Step 1: Mark the levels
I start with higher-timeframe levels, then add intraday levels on ES and NQ. These are liquidity levels I've backtested over five years with my orderflow software — I chart them in TradingView and read the orderflow in ExoCharts. I show exactly how I lay them out in order flow levels in TradingView.
The rule: if it isn't marked before the open, it isn't a level today. Drawing new lines mid-session is how traders justify trades they already want to take.
Step 2: Set a bias — and what cancels it
A bias is a working assumption, not a prediction. I write down which side I'd rather trade and the price that would prove me wrong. If price trades through that, the bias is gone and I wait for a fresh setup at the next level.
Step 3: Write down today's risk limits
| Item | What I check |
|---|---|
| Room to drawdown | Distance between balance and the trailing floor |
| Daily stop | A loss I could take many days in a row |
| Contract size | Fixed for the day — never raised after a loss |
| Max trades | A small, planned number |
| Consistency rule | Whether a big day could hurt the pass or payout |
The numbers come from my risk plan — see the full maths in futures evaluation risk plan.
Step 4: Check news and the session
I check the economic calendar for high-impact releases (CPI, NFP, FOMC) and my firm's news rules. On those days I'd rather stay flat into the number and trade once price settles at a level. Session times are in futures trading hours.
The no-trade checklist
- Price isn't at one of my prepared levels.
- My setup or orderflow confirmation isn't there.
- The daily stop or max trades is already hit.
- A high-impact release is imminent.
- I'm trading to "get back" a loss.
Any one of these means no trade. Most of my evaluation progress comes from days where I took very few trades — or none.
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I use the same preparation on evaluations and funded accounts, and I copy one plan across accounts with Tradovate and Tradecopia — details in my prop firm trading setup. If your routine changes once you're funded, read pass the evaluation without blowing the funded account.
Last updated October 11, 2026. Not financial advice.
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Pre-market routine FAQ
What should a futures pre-market routine include?+
Four things: marked levels (higher-timeframe and intraday), a directional bias with the condition that would cancel it, today's risk limits for the account, and a check of scheduled news. Anything beyond that is optional.
How long should a pre-market routine take?+
Long enough to finish all four steps without rushing. For most ES and NQ traders that is somewhere between 20 and 60 minutes. If it regularly takes longer, the routine has too many inputs.
Should I trade the first minutes after the open on an evaluation?+
Only if the open reaches a level you prepared and your setup appears. The open is fast and spreads risk across many quick decisions; on a tight trailing drawdown, waiting for price to reach your levels is usually the safer default.
Do I need a bias every day?+
You need a bias and the price that would prove it wrong. If you can't define either, that is information too — it often means a smaller or no-trade day.
How do I handle news days on an evaluation?+
Check the economic calendar during prep and your firm's news rules. Many traders stay flat into high-impact releases like CPI, NFP and FOMC and only trade once price has settled at a level. Confirm your firm's current news policy in its rulebook.
Is the routine different for funded accounts?+
No. The point of a routine is that it doesn't change with the account. If you only prepare properly under evaluation pressure, the funded account gets a worse version of you.