Scalping rules that clash with Apex challenge constraints
Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2026 8:54 pm
Some normal scalping habits clash with prop challenge rules. Several of them caused me trouble. Caveat first: rules differ between firms and change over time.
Holding through news. On my own account, I sometimes keep a small position through second-tier data. Some firms restrict trading around certain releases. Check the list of restricted events for your firm and plan around it.
Many small trades. Some firms have minimum hold times or flag very short trades. A scalper with lots of trades closed in under a minute should read the terms carefully.
Trailing drawdown. With an intraday trailing drawdown, open profit can raise the threshold. A scalper who lets a winner run and then gives some back can end up much closer to the limit than expected. This changed how I manage winners on evaluations.
Consistency rules. If no single day can be more than a certain share of total profit, one great day can actually slow your progress.
Scaling in. Adding to winners can push total contract size over the account maximum.
What I did: wrote my normal rules in one column, the firm's rules in a second, and changed my plan wherever they conflicted. Doing this before the first trade is much easier than finding out from a breach email.
Holding through news. On my own account, I sometimes keep a small position through second-tier data. Some firms restrict trading around certain releases. Check the list of restricted events for your firm and plan around it.
Many small trades. Some firms have minimum hold times or flag very short trades. A scalper with lots of trades closed in under a minute should read the terms carefully.
Trailing drawdown. With an intraday trailing drawdown, open profit can raise the threshold. A scalper who lets a winner run and then gives some back can end up much closer to the limit than expected. This changed how I manage winners on evaluations.
Consistency rules. If no single day can be more than a certain share of total profit, one great day can actually slow your progress.
Scaling in. Adding to winners can push total contract size over the account maximum.
What I did: wrote my normal rules in one column, the firm's rules in a second, and changed my plan wherever they conflicted. Doing this before the first trade is much easier than finding out from a breach email.