How does PropShopTrader measure performance now? #
PropShopTrader no longer issues payouts during the Gladiator Phase. Performance is measured using a Benchmark system, effective January 6, 2026.
Benchmarks are performance milestones, not withdrawals or payouts.
What is a Benchmark? #
- A Benchmark is earned when all required trading and risk conditions are met
- Benchmarks:
- Do not remove funds from the account
- Do not change account balance
- Are tracked as X / 8 on the dashboard (where X = number of benchmarks achieved)
- A maximum of 8 Benchmarks per account is required for Real Prop consideration
- Benchmarks:
- Do not expire
- Cannot be skipped
- Are lost if the account fails
Benchmark Qualification Rules (all must be true) #
- 5 qualifying trading days
- Net PnL on each qualifying day ≥ Daily Profit Target
- Account balance ≥ Benchmark Eligibility Threshold
- Consistency ≤ 40%
- MAE warnings < 3
- No active hedging or compliance flags
- Minimum account balance not breached
Benchmarks are evaluated automatically at end of day once all conditions are met.
What counts as a qualifying trading day? #
- Net PnL ≥ Daily Profit Target
- Loss days → do not count
- Profitable days below target → do not count
- No-trade days → do not count
- Profit below target remains in account balance
Common Benchmark Table (Intraday Trailing & EOD Trailing) #
| Account Size | Daily Profit Target | Max Drawdown | Min Benchmark Target | 1st Benchmark Elig. Threshold | MAE 50% Level | Signing Bonus Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intraday Drawdown Accounts | Consistency: 40% | ||||||
| 25K | $125 | $1,250 | $625 | $26,875 | $625 | $5,625 |
| 50K | $250 | $2,500 | $1,250 | $53,750 | $1,250 | $11,250 |
| 100K | $500 | $5,000 | $2,500 | $107,500 | $2,500 | $22,500 |
| 250K (Legacy) | $1,200 | $12,000 | $6,000 | $268,000 | $6,000 | $16,875 |
| 500K (Legacy) | $2,400 | $24,000 | $12,000 | $536,000 | $12,000 | $22,500 |
| EOD Drawdown Accounts | Consistency: 40% | ||||||
| 25K | $125 | $1,225 | $625 | $26,850 | $625 | $5,625 |
| 50K | $225 | $2,250 | $1,125 | $53,375 | $1,125 | $10,125 |
| 100K | $450 | $4,500 | $2,250 | $106,750 | $2,250 | $20,250 |
Benchmark Eligibility Threshold = Max Drawdown + Benchmark Profit Target
Consistency Rule (applies to all accounts) #
- No single trading day may exceed 40% of total net profit
- Calculated since:
- Last Benchmark, or
- Account start if no Benchmark yet
- Consistency resets when:
- A Benchmark is earned
- An MAE warning is issued
- The account is reset
If consistency > 40%, no Benchmark is awarded until corrected through additional trading days.
MAE (Maximum Adverse Excursion) #
- MAE limit = 50% of original drawdown
- Example:
- $2,500 drawdown → max MAE per trade = $1,250
- MAE rules:
- 1 MAE warning → resets trading days and consistency
- 3 MAE warnings = permanent account failure
- MAE warnings never reset
- MAE violations cannot be appealed
What replaced payouts? #
- Payouts are not available in the Gladiator Phase
- Benchmarks replace payouts as the performance metric
- Signing bonuses and cash payments occur only after Real Prop transition
What happens after 8 Benchmarks? #
- 8 Benchmarks on a single account qualifies the trader for Real Prop consideration
- Approval is not automatic
- Final decision is made by the Risk & Compliance Team
Signing Bonus (Real Prop only) #
- Paid only after Real Prop approval and contract signing
- Structure:
- 50% released at contract signature
- Remaining 50% paid across first 2 Real Prop payouts
- No signing bonuses are paid during Gladiator
What happens if I hold 5 Gladiator accounts and reach the benchmark on all of them? #
Once all five Gladiator accounts reach the required benchmark targets for Real Prop consideration, the Risk Team will conduct a full review of the trader’s activity, risk profile, and compliance history across all five accounts.
Based on that review, the following applies:
- Traders may earn up to five (5) Signing Bonuses total.
- From the five accounts, traders may qualify for up to three (3) Real Prop Trading Accounts.
- Any additional Gladiator accounts may be held as backups in the event of a failed Real Prop account.
- Any remaining active Gladiator accounts in good standing at the time of transition to Real Prop may be considered for cost reimbursement, added to the trader’s Signing Bonus at the sole discretion of the Risk Team.
- All such considerations are reviewed case by case and are not guaranteed.
What happens if I hold more than 5 Gladiator accounts? (Accounts from previous program structure) #
- Traders may earn up to five (5) Signing Bonuses total.
- Traders may qualify for up to three (3) Real Prop Trading Accounts.
- Additional Gladiator accounts may be held as backups in the event of a failed account.
- Any remaining active Gladiator accounts in good standing at the time of transition to Real Prop may be considered for cost reimbursement, added to the trader’s Signing Bonus at the sole discretion of the Risk Team.
- All such considerations are reviewed case by case and are not guaranteed.
What happens if I fail in the Real Prop (Live) phase? #
All Gladiator accounts are closed (not failed) once a trader transitions into the Real Prop phase.
- If a trader fails a Real Prop account, they must restart from the Gladiator phase with a new account.
- If the failure is the result of a prohibited trading practice or compliance breach, the trader will not be eligible to restart in the Gladiator phase.
Important clarifications #
- Benchmarks are not withdrawals
- Gladiator Phase is a qualification stage
- 250K and 500K accounts are discontinued for new purchases
- Existing discontinued accounts may continue under transition rules, but:
- Cannot be repurchased
- Cannot be reset once failed or expired
Disclaimer: Signing Bonuses are not tied to trading performance, profitability, or future results. Advancement to the Real Prop Phase is based on the completion of defined benchmark and time-based requirements and remains subject to firm risk and compliance review. Signing Bonuses are issued only after execution of the applicable Real Prop Trading Agreement and at the firm’s discretion.