TopStep Simulation

TestMax models its prop firm simulation on the TopStep evaluation structure — the most popular prop firm for futures traders. This page covers how TestMax emulates TopStep’s rules, what is identical to the real evaluation, and where we simplify for practical backtesting.

TopStep account sizes

TopStep offers several account sizes, each with different drawdown limits and profit targets. TestMax supports all of them as presets, or you can configure custom values.

$50K Account

Parameter	Value
Starting balance	$50,000
Max trailing drawdown	$2,000
Daily loss limit	$1,000
Phase 1 profit target	$3,000
Phase 2 profit target	$2,000
Minimum trading days	5

$100K Account

Parameter	Value
Starting balance	$100,000
Max trailing drawdown	$3,000
Daily loss limit	$2,000
Phase 1 profit target	$6,000
Phase 2 profit target	$4,000
Minimum trading days	5

$150K Account

Parameter	Value
Starting balance	$150,000
Max trailing drawdown	$4,500
Daily loss limit	$3,000
Phase 1 profit target	$9,000
Phase 2 profit target	$6,000
Minimum trading days	5

Note

TopStep updates their account parameters periodically. The values above reflect common configurations but may differ from current offerings. You can adjust all values in TestMax to match whatever TopStep is currently offering.

What TestMax replicates exactly

These aspects of the simulation match how TopStep calculates them in a real evaluation:

Trailing drawdown calculation

The trailing drawdown is the most commonly misunderstood rule and the number one reason traders fail. TestMax calculates it the same way TopStep does:

• Your maximum drawdown starts at a fixed amount below your starting balance (e.g., $2,000 below $50,000 = $48,000 floor)
• As your account equity increases, the drawdown floor trails upward by the same amount
• The floor never moves down — it only goes up or stays flat
• Once the floor reaches your starting balance, it locks and stops trailing (this is the “EOD with lock” variant)

Example: You start at $50,000 with a $2,000 trailing drawdown. Your floor is $48,000.

Event	Account equity	Drawdown floor	Notes
Start	$50,000	$48,000	Floor = balance - $2,000
Win a trade	$51,200	$49,200	Floor trails up to $51,200 - $2,000
Lose a trade	$50,800	$49,200	Floor stays at $49,200 (doesn’t go down)
Win more	$52,500	$50,500	Floor trails up again
Floor locks	$52,500	$50,000	Floor locks at starting balance

If your equity ever touches or drops below the floor, you fail the evaluation.

Daily loss limit

Each trading day has a separate loss cap. TestMax tracks your daily P&L from the start of each session and flags a violation if you exceed the limit. This is calculated on realized and unrealized P&L combined — an open losing position counts against your daily limit.

Profit targets

Each phase has a net profit target you must reach. TestMax tracks your cumulative P&L across all trading days and advances you to the next phase when the target is met (provided you have also met the minimum trading days requirement).

Minimum trading days

You must trade on at least the required number of distinct calendar days before you can pass a phase. A “trading day” counts if you placed at least one trade during that session.

What TestMax simplifies

While TestMax aims for accuracy, there are some practical differences from a live TopStep evaluation:

Historical data vs live markets

TestMax replays historical data, which means you know the market date in advance. This is inherent to any backtesting/replay system. To get the most realistic practice, avoid looking ahead at dates you already remember.

Commission and fees

TestMax does not currently deduct per-trade commissions or exchange fees from your account balance. In a real TopStep evaluation, commissions (typically $3-5 per round turn for NQ) reduce your net P&L. Keep this in mind when evaluating your results — if your simulation P&L is barely above the profit target, commissions could put you under in a real evaluation.

Tip

As a rule of thumb, budget $5 per round-turn trade for commissions. If you take 10 trades per day over 10 trading days, that is $500 in commissions — a meaningful amount on a $3,000 profit target.

Position limits

TopStep enforces maximum contract limits per account size (e.g., 5 contracts for a $50K account). TestMax does not currently enforce position size limits, so you should be mindful of the limits your target firm imposes and trade accordingly.

Account reset

In a real TopStep evaluation, you can sometimes pay to reset a failed attempt. In TestMax, you can simply start a new simulation for free — one of the key advantages of practicing in simulation.

Configuring your simulation

To start a TopStep-style simulation:

1. Navigate to Prop Firm Practice from the sidebar
2. Select a preset account size or choose Custom to set your own parameters
3. Choose your drawdown type — for TopStep, this is typically “Trailing EOD with Lock”
4. Verify the profit targets, daily loss limit, and minimum trading days match your target evaluation
5. Click Start Evaluation to begin Phase 1

You can have one active simulation at a time. Starting a new simulation will archive your current one.

Matching other firms

While the presets are modeled on TopStep, you can configure TestMax to match other prop firms by adjusting the parameters:

Firm	Typical drawdown type	Key difference from TopStep
Apex Trader Funding	Trailing EOD	Often larger drawdown, one-phase evaluation
Earn2Trade	Trailing EOD	Similar structure, different dollar amounts
Bulenox	Static	Fixed drawdown, does not trail
FTMO (Forex focus)	Static	Percentage-based, different instrument focus

Set the drawdown type and amounts in your simulation configuration to match whichever firm you are targeting.

Next steps

Evaluation Phases Detailed walkthrough of each evaluation phase

Rules & Limits Complete reference for all rule types and calculations

Tips for Passing Practical strategies for passing your evaluation