Short answer: Divide the profit required in one evaluation stage by the maximum loss available at the start of that stage. A 1.50 ratio means the trader must make $1.50 for every $1 of starting maximum-loss room. A 3.75 ratio means $3.75 must be earned for each $1 of starting room. Lower can mean less profit distance relative to the published loss allowance, but it does not automatically mean easier: a trailing floor, daily loss limit, consistency rule, minimum-day rule, or second phase can change the practical task.
Use the ratio as a first filter, never as a verdict.
The formula
target-to-drawdown ratio = stage profit target ÷ stage starting maximum loss
Use dollars or percentages, but keep the units consistent. A $5,000 target divided by a $3,000 maximum loss is 1.67. The same result comes from 10% divided by 6%.
Calculate each phase separately. Do not add the targets in a two-step evaluation and divide by one phase's loss allowance. Phase 1 profit usually does not carry into Phase 2, and the new phase normally begins from its own base balance and limits.
The ratio answers one narrow question: how much profit must be produced relative to the starting loss room in that stage? It does not say how that room moves, when a daily stop can breach the account, how quickly the target must be reached, or what happens after passing.
Four current examples
| Evaluation stage | Profit target | Starting maximum loss | Target-to-drawdown ratio | Loss-floor behavior | Other rule that matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DayTraders.com 50K Full | $3,000 | $2,500 | 1.20 | Intraday trailing, including open and closed P&L | Two qualifying days are published for the evaluation |
| Topstep 50K Trading Combine | $3,000 | $2,000 | 1.50 | End-of-day trailing until the floor locks at the starting balance | Best day must stay at or below 55% of total profit to avoid a higher target |
| Tradeify 247 50K 2-Step, Phase 1 | $5,000 | $3,000 | 1.67 | Static 6% maximum loss | Separate 3% daily loss limit |
| Tradeify 247 50K 2-Step, Phase 2 | $2,500 | $3,000 | 0.83 | Static 6% maximum loss | Phase 2 is a separate stage; Phase 1 profit does not carry |
| DayTraders.com 50K Static | $3,750 | $1,000 | 3.75 | Fixed floor that does not trail | Smaller loss room makes the headline ratio much higher |
The table is not a ranking. It deliberately combines different drawdown types to show why the number must sit beside the rule mechanics. DayTraders' 50K Full account has the lowest headline ratio in the sample, but its floor follows intraday peaks. Tradeify 247 Phase 2 has a ratio below 1.00, but the trader reaches that phase only after completing Phase 1. DayTraders' 50K Static account has the highest ratio, while its floor stays fixed.
Example 1: a 1.50 ratio with a trailing floor
Topstep's current 50K Trading Combine publishes a $3,000 profit target and a $2,000 Maximum Loss Limit:
$3,000 ÷ $2,000 = 1.50
At the starting balance, the target is one and a half times the maximum-loss allowance. The denominator does not remain a free $2,000 cushion after profitable sessions. Topstep says the Maximum Loss Limit rises from end-of-day balance highs and stops rising when it reaches the starting balance.
The current 55% consistency objective also matters. A 50K trader whose best day exceeds 55% of total profit does not satisfy the objective at the original $3,000 target; more profit is required on a later trading day. The 1.50 ratio therefore describes the published starting objective, not every path a trader can create through results.
Example 2: calculate two-step phases separately
Tradeify 247's current 50K 2-Step evaluation publishes a 10% Phase 1 target, a 5% Phase 2 target, a static 6% maximum loss, and a separate 3% daily loss limit.
Phase 1:
$5,000 ÷ $3,000 = 1.67
Phase 2:
$2,500 ÷ $3,000 = 0.83
It would be misleading to report a single ($5,000 + $2,500) ÷ $3,000 = 2.50 ratio without qualification. The first phase's simulated profit does not carry into the second phase, so the trader is not building $7,500 while sharing one continuously shrinking $3,000 allowance. Each stage is a fresh test with its own target and the same published percentage limits.
The 3% daily loss rule is also tighter than the 6% overall floor. A trader can breach a day before consuming all of the static maximum-loss room. That daily constraint belongs in the worksheet even though it is not part of the target-to-drawdown division.
Example 3: same firm, different structure
DayTraders.com currently publishes both Full and Static 50K evaluations.
The Full account is:
$3,000 target ÷ $2,500 drawdown = 1.20
The Static account is:
$3,750 target ÷ $1,000 drawdown = 3.75
The gap is large because the Static plan combines a higher target with much less loss room. But the Full account's drawdown follows the Auto Liquidate Peak Balance, including open and closed P&L, while the Static floor does not move. The ratio quantifies distance; the drawdown label describes how easily that distance can change during trading.
This is why account size alone is a poor comparison. Both accounts say 50K, yet their profit objectives, loss allowances, and floor mechanics differ sharply.
The five-column comparison worksheet
Fill these columns for each stage before comparing prices or maximum contract counts:
| Input | Plan A | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| Stage profit target | $_____ | $_____ |
| Starting maximum loss | $_____ | $_____ |
| Target ÷ maximum loss | _____ | _____ |
| Drawdown type and trigger | _____ | _____ |
| Daily loss limit | $_____ / none published | $_____ / none published |
| Consistency or best-day rule | _____ | _____ |
| Minimum qualifying days | _____ | _____ |
| Time limit or rebill | _____ | _____ |
| Next stage after passing | _____ | _____ |
After completing the table, ask four questions:
- Can open profit move the floor? Intraday trailing drawdown can reduce room before a profitable trade is closed.
- Can the daily rule end the attempt first? A daily loss limit may be smaller than the overall maximum loss.
- Can one strong day raise the required total? Consistency formulas can turn the displayed target into a moving objective.
- Does another phase reset the work? A low later-stage ratio does not remove the need to pass the earlier stage.
What the ratio should not do
Do not call the lowest number the easiest plan
Difficulty depends on the trader's strategy and the complete rule set. A low ratio paired with a fast-moving intraday trail can be harder for a strategy that regularly carries large unrealized gains. A higher ratio with a fixed floor can be easier to model, even if it requires more cumulative profit.
Do not divide by the advertised account balance
A 50K label is not the loss allowance. Dividing a $3,000 target by $50,000 produces 6%, but it does not compare the amount to be earned with the amount that can be lost. The relevant denominator for this worksheet is the plan's published maximum loss.
Do not use the funded-account loss limit for an evaluation ratio
Evaluation and funded stages can publish different floors, contract scaling, payout buffers, or daily rules. Keep the stage name attached to every number.
Do not ignore the direction of the rule
A static floor, end-of-day trail, and intraday trail can begin with the same dollar allowance but behave differently after profit. Read the first-party definition instead of treating “$2,000 drawdown” as a complete rule.
How this worksheet connects to position sizing
The target-to-drawdown ratio is a purchase-comparison tool. It does not select trade size. After choosing a plan, the static-drawdown position-sizing worksheet shows how to turn current room, a personal reserve, a defined stop, and tick value into a whole-contract cap. The broader drawdown-rules guide explains how static, end-of-day, and intraday floors move.
Use the Topstep review, Tradeify 247 review, and DayTraders.com review for plan context beyond the sample calculations.
Bottom line
Calculate profit target divided by starting maximum loss for one evaluation stage at a time. The result exposes how much required profit sits above each dollar of published loss room and prevents a large account label from hiding a small risk allowance.
Then keep going. Record the drawdown trigger, daily loss limit, consistency rule, minimum days, time limit, and next stage. The ratio is useful because it is simple; the completed worksheet is useful because it refuses to pretend the rest of the rules are simple.
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Official sources and verification
- Topstep Trading Combine parameters — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; current objectives, 55% consistency target, position limits, and evaluation framing.
- Topstep Maximum Loss Limit — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; current 50K $2,000 limit and end-of-day trailing/lock behavior.
- Topstep consistency guide — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; current 50K target, 55% calculation, and target-increase treatment.
- Tradeify 247 2-Step Evaluations Guide — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; phase targets, static 6% maximum loss, 3% daily limit, stage separation, and funded progression.
- Tradeify 247 Evaluations Guide — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; current evaluation comparison and confirmation that evaluation profit does not carry to the next or funded stage.
- DayTraders.com evaluation sizes and details — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; current Full and Static 50K targets and drawdown amounts.
- DayTraders.com Static versus Full accounts — checked September 16, 2026, 7:08 AM MDT; intraday trailing versus fixed-floor behavior and current Static table.