FTMO Free trial 100k 2 step Challenge

My FTMO $100K Free Trial Review

This FTMO account was a tough one, but there are a lot of lessons I can take from it.

I started the $100,000 FTMO Free Trial on August 10th, and the account eventually ended on August 28th after I breached the maximum loss limit.

I finished with a balance of $89,948.22, putting my overall P&L at -$10,051.78 (-10.05%).

Here are my overall statistics:

Starting Balance: $100,000

Final Balance: $89,948.22

Total P&L: -$10,051.78

Total Trades: 29

Win Rate: 31.03%

Average Profit: $1,070.37

Average Loss: -$984.26

Average RRR: 1.09

Profit Factor: 0.49

Expectancy: -$346.61

Sharpe Ratio: -0.48

Discipline Score: 86%

Total Volume: 329.49 lots

One positive thing I can take from this account is that I never breached the maximum daily loss limit. My maximum daily loss was -$3,236.32 (-3.2%), while FTMO allowed -$5,000.

What eventually took me out was the maximum overall loss. My maximum loss reached -$10,347.38 (-10.3%), crossing FTMO's -$10,000 limit.

Looking back at the equity curve, I actually had a decent start. At one point, I pushed the account to around $102,000, but things changed afterwards. Once I entered drawdown, I wasn't able to stop the bleeding.

The biggest damage came during my final five trading days:

24/08: -$1,125.56

25/08: -$2,551.20

26/08: -$2,613.44

27/08: -$1,505.19

28/08: -$2,011.99

That's almost $10,000 lost within five consecutive losing days.

This is probably the biggest lesson I'm taking from this account.

My problem wasn't necessarily one massive trade that destroyed everything. It was continuing to take significant risk while already going through a losing streak.

Another thing that stands out to me is my 31.03% win rate combined with an average RRR of only 1.09. My average winner was slightly bigger than my average loser, but not enough to compensate for how frequently I was losing.

So moving forward, I need to work on two things: improving the quality of the setups I take and extracting more R from the trades I'm right on.

I'm also paying close attention to my risk management.

I traded 329.49 lots across 29 trades, and although lot size alone doesn't determine risk because my stop-loss distances vary, I can clearly see that I remained too aggressive during drawdown.

That's something I don't want to repeat.

Interestingly, FTMO still gave me an 86% discipline score – “Very Good.” I take something positive from that because it shows that I wasn't just randomly entering trades. But this account also taught me that being disciplined in executing a strategy doesn't automatically make that strategy profitable.

Execution, edge and risk management all have to work together.

My biggest takeaway from this account is simple:

I need to learn how to lose better.

Losing trades are inevitable. Losing streaks are inevitable. What I can control is how much damage those periods do to my account.

On my next attempt, I want to become much more defensive when I'm in drawdown. After consecutive losses, my risk should decrease instead of staying the same. I don't need to make everything back immediately.

The goal isn't to recover today.

The goal is to still have an account tomorrow.

I failed this FTMO trial, but I have the statistics, the trades and the mistakes in front of me. Now it's about studying them, making the necessary adjustments and coming back with better risk management and a stronger edge.

Back to the charts. Back to the journal. Back to work.

My Second FTMO $100K Free Trial — New Approach

After reviewing what went wrong with my previous FTMO Free Trial, I've decided to start another $100,000 FTMO Free Trial.

This time, I'm not coming into the account trying to immediately recover what happened on the previous one. This is a fresh account, and I'm approaching it with a different risk-management strategy.

The biggest lesson from my last attempt was that a losing streak should never be allowed to destroy my account before my trading strategy has enough time to play out.

I had an 86% discipline score on the previous account, but I still breached the maximum loss limit. That showed me something important: good execution alone isn't enough. How I manage risk during both winning and losing periods matters just as much as the setups I take.

So for this account, I'll be implementing a dynamic risk strategy.

Instead of risking the same amount regardless of my account's performance, my risk will adjust according to my equity.

When I'm in drawdown, my risk will decrease.

When I'm performing well and building profits, my risk will gradually increase.

The idea is simple:

Protect aggressively on the downside and allow myself more room to capitalize on the upside.

My previous account showed me exactly why this matters. I experienced several consecutive losing days, and because my exposure remained significant throughout that period, the losses compounded until I eventually breached the 10% maximum loss limit.

I don't want to repeat that mistake.

With dynamic risk, a losing streak should progressively become less damaging. As the drawdown gets deeper, I'll have less money at risk per trade. This gives my strategy more opportunities to recover without putting the entire account in danger.

At the same time, when I'm profitable, I can gradually increase my risk using the cushion I've already created rather than aggressively risking my starting capital.

The objective for this FTMO trial is +$5,000 (5%), while the maximum daily loss is -$5,000 and maximum overall loss is -$10,000.

But I'm not looking at that $10,000 maximum loss as money available for me to lose.

That's FTMO's limit—not my personal risk limit.

My own risk rules need to stop me long before I ever get close to that level.

This attempt isn't about avoiding losses. That's impossible.

It's about making sure that no individual loss, bad day, or losing streak has enough weight to knock me out of the game.

I want my edge to have enough trades to actually express itself.

If my strategy is profitable over a large enough sample size, then my job as a risk manager is simple:

Stay alive long enough for the probabilities to work in my favour.

New account.

Same strategy.

Better risk management.

Starting Balance: $100,000

Profit Target: +$5,000

Maximum Daily Loss: -$5,000

Maximum Loss: -$10,000

Now the focus isn't on passing as quickly as possible.

The focus is on protecting capital, executing my edge consistently, and letting the results take care of themselves.

The process can only keep getting better.

FTMO Challenge — Day 1 Summary

Today was the first trading day on this $100,000 FTMO Free Trial account, and it started on the negative side.

I took one completed trade, which resulted in a -$1,337.86 loss. That brought my closed balance down to $98,630.74.

However, I currently have an AUDUSD buy running in profit. At the time of this update, the position is approximately +$477 to +$490 in floating profit, which has pushed my equity back to around $99,108–$99,121.

So despite taking a sizeable loss on the first trade, the account is currently sitting at roughly -$879 (-0.88%) overall when the floating AUDUSD profit is included.

Today's numbers:

Starting Balance: $100,000

Closed Trades: 1

Closed P&L: -$1,337.86

Current Balance: $98,630.74

AUDUSD Floating P&L: ~+$480

Current Equity: ~$99,110

Overall P&L: ~-$890 / -0.9%

Today's Permitted Loss Remaining: $4,120.58

Maximum Permitted Loss Remaining: $9,120.58

The main positive for me is that the account is still well within its drawdown limits. I'm not going to try to force a recovery after the first loss. The priority from here is to protect the downside, remain disciplined with my risk, and allow the strategy enough trades to play out.

Day 1 is red, but the challenge is far from decided.

FTMO Challenge — Day 1 Summary

Today was the first trading day on this $100,000 FTMO Free Trial account, and it started on the negative side.

I took one completed trade, which resulted in a -$1,337.86 loss. That brought my closed balance down to $98,630.74.

However, I currently have an AUDUSD buy running in profit. At the time of this update, the position is approximately +$477 to +$490 in floating profit, which has pushed my equity back to around $99,108–$99,121.

So despite taking a sizeable loss on the first trade, the account is currently sitting at roughly -$879 (-0.88%) overall when the floating AUDUSD profit is included.

Today's numbers:

Starting Balance: $100,000

Closed Trades: 1

Closed P&L: -$1,337.86

Current Balance: $98,630.74

AUDUSD Floating P&L: ~+$480

Current Equity: ~$99,110

Overall P&L: ~-$890 / -0.9%

Today's Permitted Loss Remaining: $4,120.58

Maximum Permitted Loss Remaining: $9,120.58

The main positive for me is that the account is still well within its drawdown limits. I'm not going to try to force a recovery after the first loss. The priority from here is to protect the downside, remain disciplined with my risk, and allow the strategy enough trades to play out.

Day 1 is red, but the challenge is far from decided.

Well done. Losses can always be recovered, once your edge is solid. It can only get better.

Today's FTMO Performance Summary — Day 2 Summary

Today was a difficult session on the account. I took 3 closed trades and all 3 ended in losses, while 2 other setups were missed. I currently have 1 trade still running, so the trading day isn't completely finished yet.

The three closed trades resulted in a combined loss of -$2,602.36. Together with yesterday's -$1,337.86, my account balance is now $96,049.45, putting the account roughly 3.95% below the initial $100,000 balance.

At the moment, my running GBPAUD buy is slightly in profit. The position is showing approximately +$156, with price about 5.3 pips in my favor. This brings the current equity to around $96,205–$96,215, depending on price fluctuations.

The frustrating part of today wasn't only the three losses; I also had two setups that I identified but missed, which is another reminder that trading performance isn't always perfectly reflected by the final P&L. Some days you execute and lose, while the opportunities you don't execute end up moving.

Still, the numbers are what matter. After only two trading days, I'm already sitting close to 4% drawdown, so protecting the account now takes priority over trying to recover the losses quickly. I don't need to make everything back tomorrow. I need to give my strategy enough room to play out without allowing a losing streak to put the account in unnecessary danger.

Today's recap: 3 losses, 2 missed trades, 1 running trade, -$2,602.36 realized P&L, with the GBPAUD position currently providing a small unrealized recovery.

Not the start I wanted, but this is exactly where risk management, patience and emotional discipline become more important than trying to force a comeback. The goal remains the same: survive the drawdown, execute the system properly, and allow the edge to show itself over a larger sample of trades.

A bad day doesn't mean a bad week, a bad week doesn't mean a bad month. It's the fact you're showing up every day and putting yourself through the process to get better that matters.
Today is another day to try again. Let's get active.

Today's Trading Summary — Day 3

Today was a mixed session, but definitely an improvement compared with the previous losing days. I took 6 trades in total: 4 closed and 2 still running.

From the closed positions, I had 1 winning trade, 2 losses and 1 breakeven trade. The standout trade was EURGBP, which delivered +$1,881.24. The two losses came from Gold (-$629.94) and EURUSD (-$916.34), while the other position was closed around breakeven. Despite the losses, the closed trades left me +$300.58 for the day, with a 25% win rate and 1.19 profit factor.

The interesting part is what's still running. I currently have US30 sells sitting at approximately +$1,240, while AUDUSD sells are basically at entry at around -$6. Combined, the open positions are showing roughly +$1,221 in unrealized profit, pushing account equity to around $97,567 compared with the $96,345 balance.

The biggest positive today wasn't necessarily the win rate—it was the asymmetry between the winner and losers. One strong EURGBP trade was enough to absorb two full losses and still leave the closed session positive. If US30 continues delivering toward its target while AUDUSD follows the bearish thesis, the overall result could improve considerably.

I'm still below the initial $100,000 starting balance, so the focus remains capital preservation and consistency rather than trying to recover the drawdown quickly. Today's session is another reminder that I don't need to win every trade; I need my winners to pay properly when I'm right.

Today's scoreboard: 6 trades • 1 win • 2 losses • 1 BE • 2 running • Closed P&L: +$300.58 • Open P&L: ≈ +$1,221.

Good job. Tomorrow we go again.

Good job. Tomorrow we go again.

Trading Summary — September 3, 2026

Today was another difficult session on the FTMO challenge. I finished the day -$1,726.44 after taking 6 trades, bringing my account balance to $94,633.92.

The setups I took today included opportunities across markets like Silver, NAS100 and EURUSD. Although the setups were based on my usual market-structure and liquidity framework, the overall execution didn't produce the results I wanted.

Today’s Numbers

* Trades: 6

* Total lots: 37.42

* **Daily result:** -$1,726.44

* **Current balance:** $94,633.92

* **Current equity:** $94,633.92

* **Overall account P&L:** -$5,366.08 (-5.3%)

* **Maximum loss reached:** -$5,700.08 (-5.7%)

* **Discipline score:** 56% — Good

The account is now approximately 5.37% below the initial $100,000 balance, which means capital preservation has to take priority from here.

Across the challenge so far, I’ve taken 14 trades, with a 21.43% win rate, $729.83 average profit, -$686.87 average loss, and 1.06 average RRR. The biggest issue isn't necessarily finding setups; it's that the combination of the current win rate and average reward isn't enough to overcome the losses.

One positive from today is that the account is still active and the risk objectives haven't been breached. But with the account already this deep into drawdown, I don't have much room for another sequence of full-risk losses.

For the next session, my focus needs to shift away from trying to recover the account quickly. No revenge trading, no increasing risk to make back losses, and no taking mediocre setups simply because I need a winner. I need to be extremely selective and allow the strategy enough time to play out without letting a losing streak destroy the account.

Overall: Bad day financially, but the challenge isn't over. The priority now is survival first, recovery second.

Reduce your risk and your lot size and target 0.5% a day. It should help in the recoery process.

Trading Summary — September 4, 2026

Today was another red day, but considerably more controlled than some of the previous sessions. I closed 3 trades with a 33.33% win rate, finishing the closed positions at -$619.47.

The three closed trades were:

* AUDUSD Buy: -$577.68 ❌

* EURCHF Buy: -$153.63 ❌

* EURCAD Sell: +$111.84 ✅

The AUDUSD loss did most of the damage today. EURCHF added another smaller loss, while EURCAD gave me my only winning trade and recovered a small portion of the drawdown.

I currently have EURGBP sells running, which is sitting around -$106.70 floating in the screenshot. So the trading day isn't completely finished yet.

Account Position

My closed balance is currently around $93,999.27, meaning the account is approximately 6% below the original $100,000 starting balance. The dashboard shows my maximum-loss figure at roughly -$6,484.49 (-6.4%), so the account is still alive, but I've used a significant portion of the available drawdown.

One positive is that today's damage was much smaller than September 3:

Sept 3: -$1,726.44

Sept 4: -$619.47 closed

That's an improvement in downside control, even though the result is still negative.

My Takeaway From Today

Today wasn't the result I wanted, but right now capital preservation matters more than trying to recover the account quickly.

I'm already deep enough into drawdown that increasing aggression to "make it back" could turn a difficult period into a failed challenge. The priority from here is to keep executing my setups, reduce unnecessary exposure, and allow the edge enough trades to work itself out.

The biggest thing I need to watch is the relationship between my average win ($575.33) and average loss (-$637.45). With an overall win rate of 23.53%, the current payoff isn't enough to compensate for the losses. Either my strike rate needs to improve, my average winner needs to become substantially larger, or my average loss needs to come down.

For now: protect the remaining drawdown, don't revenge trade, don't force recovery, and judge the process over a larger sample of properly executed trades.

The swing method kept you calm and more precise in your execution. The day-trading method seems to be making you put yourself under pressure. But I'm quite sure you'll adjust, just keep pushing. Next week we go again.
Good risk management. Now it's for you to keep it consistent.

Yeah, not a fan of day trading, cos i will be looking setups on small timeframes, but i will adjust soon enough