FTMO reports that less than 10% of traders pass their Phase 1 challenge. But the reason most traders fail isn't a bad strategy — it's poor discipline and emotional decisions.
Tip 1: Know Your Daily Loss Limit Like Your Own Name
FTMO's daily loss limit is 5% of your account. On a $100K account, that's $5,000. This resets every day at midnight Prague time.
The mistake: Not tracking running daily P&L in real time. The fix: Use TMI to see your daily P&L against your limit at all times.
Tip 2: Trade Your Normal Lot Sizes
Don't oversize to hit the profit target faster. FTMO's 10% profit target is $10,000 on a $100K account over 30 days — that's $333/day. Very achievable with normal sizing.
Tip 3: Take at Least 4 Trading Days
FTMO requires a minimum of 4 trading days. Pace yourself across 10-15 days to reduce variance.
Tip 4: Stick to 1-2 Instruments Max
TMI data shows traders who focus on 1-2 instruments have a 42% higher pass rate than those trading 5+.
Tip 5: Stop After 3 Consecutive Losses
Three consecutive losses in a day signals something is off. Set a hard rule and stick to it. This prevents the revenge spiral that causes ~40% of daily limit breaches.
Tip 6: Track Your Rule Violations
Create your personal trading rules before the challenge and track every violation with TMI's Rule Tracker.
Tip 7: Review Your Performance Weekly
Every Sunday, review: what setups worked, what time was most profitable, did you stick to your rules. TMI generates this weekly debrief automatically.
The FTMO Challenge Checklist
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