The Topstep Trading Combine is built on three rules: a profit target, a daily loss limit, and a trailing maximum loss limit. Topstep is a futures firm, trading CME products rather than forex. The trailing drawdown is the part that catches people, so it is worth understanding precisely. Confirm the exact numbers for your account size in the official Topstep rulebook, since terms change.
The trailing maximum loss limit
Topstep's maximum loss limit trails your account higher as you make profit, then locks once you reach a defined level. While it is trailing, every new equity high pulls the floor up behind you. The consequence is the classic trailing-floor trap: after a strong run, a normal pullback can breach you even though you are still up overall. The mechanics, with worked examples, are in static vs trailing drawdown explained.
The daily loss limit
The daily loss limit caps your loss in a single session. Reach it and the day is over, and repeated breaches end the Combine. This is the rule most traders actually fail on, because it sits right where the post-loss urge to recover lives.
The profit target
You need to reach a profit target without breaching either loss rule. The target is set to be reachable with steady trading, which is the point: Topstep wants traders who can repeat results, not gamble for one big day. That goal aligns with the consistency mindset.
Where evaluations actually end
The numbers are passable. What ends most Combines is the daily loss limit breached in a tilted moment, or a trailing-drawdown breach the trader did not see coming. Both are behavioural, and both are prevented by the same thing: a hard daily stop that keeps a single session from running away. EmotionLock enforces that stop, taking the one uncontrollable risk out of your hands.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main Topstep rules?
The Topstep Trading Combine sets a profit target, a daily loss limit, and a trailing maximum loss limit. Topstep is a futures prop firm, so it trades CME products like ES, NQ, and CL rather than forex. Always confirm the current figures for your account size in the official Topstep rulebook, as terms change.
How does the Topstep trailing drawdown work?
Topstep uses a trailing maximum loss limit that follows your account equity higher as you make profit, then typically locks once you reach a certain level. Because the floor moves up with your gains, a pullback after a good run can breach you even though you are still in profit overall.
What is the Topstep daily loss limit?
The daily loss limit caps how much you can lose in a single trading day during the Combine. Hit it and the day ends, and repeated or severe breaches can end the evaluation. The exact dollar figure depends on your account size, so check the current rulebook.
Why do traders fail the Topstep Combine?
Most failures come from breaching the daily loss limit or running into the trailing drawdown after a loss, when the urge to win it back drives oversized or repeated trades. It is a behavioural failure in the post-loss window, not usually a strategy problem.
The summary
Topstep is a profit target, a daily loss limit, and a trailing maximum loss limit for futures traders. The trailing floor and the daily limit cause most failures, both in the post-loss window. Confirm the current figures officially, and protect the daily limit with a hard stop enforced by a tool like EmotionLock.