Do I Need to Pass an Eval for Topstep?

Short answer: yes. Here's exactly what Topstep's Trading Combine requires, how long it realistically takes, and how an automated Pine Script strategy makes it easier.

Published 2026-06-23 · Updated 2026-07-26

Short answer: yes. Topstep requires every trader to pass the Trading Combine before receiving a funded account. There's no way to skip it — the Combine is how Topstep verifies a trader can manage risk before handing over real capital.

Unlike a brokerage where a deposit buys immediate access to trade, Topstep is a funded-trading program — they supply the capital, so they need proof a trader can operate inside their risk rules first. That proof is the Trading Combine, and it's genuinely passable with a systematic approach. An automated Pine Script strategy removes most of the emotional decisions that cause manual attempts to fail.

What is the Topstep Trading Combine?

The Combine is Topstep's simulated evaluation account. A trader subscribes monthly, trades it like a live account, and once the profit target is hit without breaking any rule, Topstep moves the account to funded status — where the trader keeps the majority of profits going forward.

Rule	25k account	50k account	100k account
Profit target	$1,500	$3,000	$6,000
Daily loss limit	$500	$1,000	$2,000
Max trailing drawdown	$1,500	$2,000	$3,000
Drawdown type	EOD trailing — floor only moves at end of day
Minimum trading days	10, including at least 5 winning days of $200+
Automation allowed	Yes, on the Combine

Topstep's rules change periodically, and pricing tiers move too. Confirm current terms at topstep.com before purchasing a Combine subscription — the 25k figures above aren't in our reconciled firm data and should be double-checked directly.

How the Combine works, step by step

Purchase a Combine subscription at 25k, 50k, or 100k. The 50k tier is the most popular.
Trade the simulated account exactly as a live account — the goal is hitting the profit target while respecting the daily loss limit and trailing drawdown.
Log at least 10 trading days, including the required winning-day count. There's no maximum — most traders with a consistent strategy finish well inside a month.
Get funded. Once the target and every rule are satisfied, Topstep reviews the account and moves it to funded status.

The two rules that fail most traders

1. The daily loss limit

A $1,000 daily loss limit on the 50k Combine is the most common failure point. Cross it in a single session and trading is suspended for the day — a surprise news event can wipe the limit before a manual trader even reacts. Setting a script's internal kill switch to roughly 80% of the hard limit leaves a buffer for slippage and execution lag on the final exit.

2. The EOD trailing drawdown

Topstep's trailing drawdown only moves at the close of a trading day — unrealized intraday gains don't affect it. That's more forgiving than an intraday trail, but it still catches traders who let losing sessions compound across multiple days without ever tripping the daily limit on any single one. On the 50k Combine, two consecutive max-loss days can consume the entire cushion even though neither day alone breached the daily limit.

The EOD structure rewards steady daily pacing over a rush to the finish. A consistent $200–$400/day gain clears the Combine cleanly; trying to finish in the minimum number of days with oversized positions is the highest-risk path.

Can automation pass the Topstep Combine?

Yes — and it's the more reliable approach for most traders. The standard automated stack is:

TradingView Pine Script → TradersPost webhook → Tradovate

A Pine Script strategy generates entry and exit signals, TradingView forwards them as webhook alerts to TradersPost, and TradersPost routes the resulting orders into the Tradovate Combine account — all without manual intervention. Automation removes the two failure modes that sink most manual attempts: overtrading after a loss, and blowing past the daily limit while "trying to make back" a red session.

What happens if the Combine is failed?

Breaching the daily loss limit or trailing drawdown resets the Combine. A new subscription is required to try again, though Topstep periodically runs free-reset promotions worth checking for before paying. Redundant protection — a script-level kill switch plus a platform-level risk control at the broker — is the safer setup than relying on either alone.

Do all prop firms require an evaluation?

Yes — every major futures prop firm gates funding behind some form of evaluation. The structures differ:

Firm	Eval type	Drawdown type	Automation on funded?
Topstep	Trading Combine (subscription)	EOD trailing	Restricted / semi-automated
Apex Trader Funding	Evaluation (subscription)	Intraday trailing	No — manual confirmation only
MyFundedFutures	Evaluation (one-time fee)	Static	Yes
Bulenox	Evaluation (subscription)	EOD trailing	Permitted on eval; verify current funded policy
FTMO	2-phase challenge	Static	Yes, for the trader's own coded strategies

Topstep's EOD trailing drawdown is more forgiving for algo traders than Apex's intraday trail, which moves on every unrealized equity peak rather than only at the close. See the full Apex vs. Topstep breakdown for a side-by-side.

FAQ

Do I need to pass an evaluation to get funded by Topstep?

Yes. Topstep requires every trader to pass the Trading Combine before receiving a funded account. The Combine checks whether a trader can hit a profit target while staying within the daily loss limit and trailing drawdown over a meaningful stretch of trading days.

How long does the Topstep Combine take?

Topstep's reconciled minimum is 10 trading days, with no maximum time limit — a monthly subscription runs for as long as the Combine takes, so passing faster saves money but there's no deadline pressure. Within those days, at least 5 need to be winning days of $200 or more, per Topstep's participation requirement.

Can I use an automated strategy to pass the Topstep Combine?

Yes. Topstep explicitly permits automated strategies on the Combine. The standard stack is a TradingView Pine Script sending webhook alerts to TradersPost, which routes orders to Tradovate — Topstep's primary broker. The strategy has to respect every Combine rule, especially the daily loss limit, from inside its own logic.

What happens if I fail the Topstep Combine?

The Combine resets and a new subscription is required to try again — Topstep runs periodic reset promotions worth checking before paying full price. Building an internal kill switch comfortably under the hard daily loss limit is the best protection against an accidental breach on a volatile session.