Most traders who fail a one-step evaluation don't fail on the profit target. They fail on the daily loss limit, usually on day two or three, after one trade that was sized for the target instead of the limit. This guide turns that limit into a plan you can follow from your first trade.
Start from the limit, not the target
Every plan has a profit target, a daily loss limit and a max loss. Everything else follows from those three numbers. Take a $10,000 account on 1 Step Classic:
| Rule | Percent | In dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% | $1,000 |
| Daily loss limit | 2% | $200 |
| Max loss | 6% | $600 |
Two details matter more than the numbers. The daily limit is measured from your start-of-day balance, and the day resets at 00:00 UTC. And it is checked against your equity, so a trade that is open and down counts the same as one you already closed. If equity touches the limit, the account closes at once.
The target takes care of itself when the losses stay small.
Turn the daily limit into a trade budget
The question is not "how much can I make on this trade?" but "how many trades can go wrong today before I'm out?". On the same $10,000 account:
| Risk per trade | In dollars | Losses to the daily limit | Losses to the max loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.25% | $25 | 8 | 24 |
| 0.5% | $50 | 4 | 12 |
| 1% | $100 | 2 | 6 |
| 2% | $200 | 1 | 3 |
At 2% a trade, one bad entry ends the day and three end the account. At 0.5%, you can be wrong four times in a row and still trade tomorrow. Small risk feels slow, but it is the only size that survives a normal losing streak.
A plan for the first ten days
- Risk 0.5% a trade for the first three days.
- Take no more than three trades a day.
- Stop for the day after two losses in a row, or once you are down 1% on the day.
- Raise risk to 1% only once you are up 2%. That profit is your cushion.
There are no minimum trading days and no time limit, so nothing in the rules forces you to rush. You can pass on day one, but you don't have to.
What this looks like on gold
One lot of XAUUSD is 100 ounces, so every $1 move in gold is $100 per lot. If your stop is $6 away, one lot risks $600. To risk $50:
Lots = risk ÷ (stop distance × 100) = $50 ÷ ($6 × 100) = 0.083
Round down to 0.08 lots. Round down every time: rounding up is how a 0.5% plan turns into a 0.6% trade, and then a 0.8% one.
Here is how a calm first week can look on that plan. It is an example, not a result:
| Day | Trades | Result | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | +$60 | $10,060 |
| 2 | 3 | -$40 | $10,020 |
| 3 | 1 | +$110 | $10,130 |
| 4 | 2 | +$85 | $10,215 |
| 5 | 3 | -$75 | $10,140 |
Nothing exciting happened, and that is the point. The worst day cost $75, well inside the $200 limit, and the account is still alive for week two.
Watch the open trade, not just the closed ones
Because the limit is checked on equity, an open trade can end your day before you close anything. Say you closed a $60 loss this morning and now hold a trade that is $150 down. Your day is at $210 down. On 1 Step Classic that is past $200, and the account closes.
Two habits prevent this:
- Every trade has a stop from the moment you open it. No stop, no trade.
- Count today's closed losses before you size the next trade. If you are already $100 down, your next stop can risk $50 at most, not $100.
Pick the plan that fits how you trade
The three plans spread the same risk in different ways:
- 1 Step Classic: 10% target, 2% daily, 6% max loss. The most room per day.
- 1 Step Flex: 6% target, 1% daily, 4% max loss. A small target, but a tight daily limit. Suits traders who take few, small trades.
- 1 Step Light: 9% target, no daily limit, 3% max loss, and a news lock around major US releases. No daily limit sounds easier, but the whole account has only 3% of room.
If you often have one big losing day a month, a tighter daily limit will catch it. If your losses come slowly over weeks, the max loss is the number to plan around. The handbook explains each rule in plain words.
The rule nobody likes
Walk away after a big win too. The day after a big win is when most accounts break the daily limit: size creeps up, stops get wider, and one trade gives it all back. Bank the day and come back tomorrow at your normal size.
Practise the plan first
Run this plan on the free $100K demo before you pay for anything. Same terminal, same live prices. If the plan holds up for a week there, it will hold up in the evaluation. When you are ready, pick a size.
