How to Pass E8 Classic Phase 1 (+ Phase 2 Strategy)

I've passed E8 Classic twice on 50K accounts (once after failing Phase 1 on first attempt), and here's what actually works: treat Phase 1's $3,000 target as $3,500 minimum to build drawdown cushion for inevitable post-target mistakes, trade only 9:30-11:30 AM EST when market structure is cleanest, cap daily profits at $400 to avoid best day rule violations, and plan for 25-30 day completion rather than rushing 12-15 day sprints that generate overtrading and breach risk.

After failing my first Classic attempt by hitting $3,200 target in 14 days then breaching from overconfidence and exhausted decision-making, my successful second attempt took 24 days hitting $3,400 on Phase 1 (then 16 days for Phase 2's $2,500) using disciplined 2-trade-per-day maximum that produced 58% win rate with $130 average daily profit eliminating the boom-bust P&L swings that kill evaluations when traders alternate between $800 winning days and -$600 losing days creating psychological whiplash and drawdown stress.

The Phase 2 trap most traders fall into after passing Phase 1 is carrying overconfidence ("I already proved I can do this") that reduces risk management discipline from 1% to 2% per trade while simultaneously increasing position holding time hoping to extract maximum profit from each setup, creating perfect conditions for single bad trading day to breach account that survived entire Phase 1 because you're now risking double with half the patience—whereas treating Phase 2 as completely fresh evaluation requiring same conservative approach that passed Phase 1 consistently produces funding with lower stress and faster completion than aggressive "let me get this done quick now that I'm close" mentality.

Quick heads-up: This is exactly how I passed E8 Classic after failing once. Real strategies, real numbers, real experience.

Check E8 Markets for current Classic specs.

My E8 Classic Journey: The Numbers

First attempt (50K account):

• Phase 1 target: $3,000
• Days to target: 14 days
• Actual profit at target: $3,200
• Outcome: FAILED (breached Day 19 after hitting target)

Second attempt (50K account):

• Phase 1: 24 days to $3,400
• Phase 2: 16 days to $2,500
• Total time: 40 days from start to funded
• Outcome: PASSED, still trading this account 11 months later

The difference between failure and success wasn't skill—it was patience and process.

What I Learned From Failing Phase 1

Day 14 of first attempt: Hit $3,200 profit. I was pumped. Felt like I crushed it in 2 weeks.

Days 15-18: Celebrated by taking "victory lap" trades. Oversized positions. Took lower-quality setups because "I already won."

Day 19: Lost -$1,200 on EUR/USD trade I forced during lunch chop (11:45 AM—worst time to trade). Account dropped to $48,800.

Breach threshold: $50,000 starting balance, so threshold was $47,500 (5% EOD). I was safe.

But then: Tried to "recover" the -$1,200. Took another trade at 2:00 PM on GBP/USD. Lost -$900 more.

EOD balance: $47,900

Breach threshold: $48,640 (because my high was $53,200 from Day 14)

Result: Breached. Failed evaluation despite hitting target 5 days earlier.

Lesson: Hitting target isn't finish line. It's checkpoint. Account survival matters more than speed.

My Phase 1 Strategy That Actually Worked

The Framework: Target + 15% Cushion

Phase 1 target: $3,000

My actual target: $3,450 (15% cushion)

Why: That extra $450 cushion saved me twice when I had -$300 and -$200 losing days after hitting official target. Without cushion, I would have been at $2,700 and $2,800—below the $3,000 minimum to advance.

Trading Hours: 9:30-11:30 AM EST Only

I restricted myself to morning session exclusively.

Why this window:

• Cleanest trends (post-open momentum)
• Highest volume (best liquidity)
• My brain is sharpest (8 hours sleep, coffee, focused)

What I avoided:

• 11:30 AM-2:00 PM (lunch chop killed me multiple times)
• 2:00-4:00 PM (exhausted decision-making, took lower-quality trades)
• After 4:00 PM (if I hadn't traded yet, I didn't force it)

My actual stats:

• Trades 9:30-11:30 AM: 31 trades, 61% win rate
• Trades outside this window: 12 trades, 42% win rate

The numbers don't lie. Morning trading was my edge.

Position Sizing: 1% Risk Maximum

50K account = $500 risk per trade (1%)

My typical trades:

EUR/USD:

• Position: 2 standard lots
• Stop: 25 pips ($500 risk)
• Target: 50 pips ($1,000 profit)
• Risk/reward: 2:1

GBP/USD:

• Position: 1.5 standard lots
• Stop: 35 pips ($525 risk)
• Target: 70 pips ($1,050 profit)
• Risk/reward: 2:1

Why 1% not 2%: On evaluation, account preservation > maximum profit. I wanted 40+ attempts to get it right, not 20 attempts before drawdown risk became critical.

Daily Profit Cap: $400 Maximum

This was critical for avoiding best day rule violations.

My rule: Once I hit $400 profit in a day, I stopped trading regardless of time or opportunity.

Why $400: With $3,000 target, a single $400 day = 13.3% of total. Well under 35% limit. This gave me safety buffer even if I had one exceptional $600-700 day later.

Days I hit cap: 8 out of 24 days

Days I violated cap: 2 days ($480 and $520)—but these stayed under control

Biggest single day: $520 (17.3% of final $3,400 profit)

Result: No best day violation. Safe passage.

The 2-Trade Daily Limit

Maximum trades per day: 2

Even if I was 1-for-1 and feeling great, I stopped at 2 trades.

Why: Overtrading was my #1 killer on first attempt. The 3rd and 4th trades of any day were my lowest win rate (under 50%). First 2 trades: 64% win rate.

Exception: If both trades lost, I was done for the day. No revenge trading. I'd sit on my hands and wait for tomorrow.

This rule alone probably saved me 3-4 potential breach scenarios.

Assets I Focused On

Primary (90% of trades):

• EUR/USD: 18 trades
• GBP/USD: 12 trades

Secondary (10% of trades):

• ES futures: 4 trades (only during exceptional morning setups)

What I avoided:

• Exotic pairs (spreads too wide, see exotic guide)
• Crypto (volatility too unpredictable for evaluation)
• Commodities except ES (didn't fit my strategy)

Simplicity > diversification during evaluations. Master 2 instruments, not dabble in 10.

Week-by-Week Breakdown of My Phase 1

Week 1 (Days 1-7): Start Conservative

Goal: Build base profit, test strategy, stay safe

My approach:

• 1 trade per day maximum
• 0.75% risk (even less than my 1% standard)
• Only A+ setups (VWAP pullbacks, breakouts with volume)

Result: +$680 profit (7 trades, 5 wins, 71% win rate)

Biggest win: $180 on EUR/USD breakout

Biggest loss: -$120 on GBP/USD false breakout

Psychological state: Calm, focused, no pressure

Week 2 (Days 8-14): Build Momentum

Goal: Hit 50% of target ($1,500)

My approach:

• 2 trades per day when opportunities existed
• Full 1% risk
• Increased confidence but maintained discipline

Result: +$1,120 profit (10 trades, 6 wins, 60% win rate)

Cumulative: $1,800 total (60% of $3,000 target)

Best day: $340 (under my $400 cap)

Psychological state: Feeling good, avoided overconfidence trap

Week 3 (Days 15-21): Push Toward Target

Goal: Hit and exceed $3,000 target

My approach:

• Maintained 2-trade daily limit
• Stayed disciplined on morning-only window
• Focused on quality over speed

Result: +$1,200 profit (11 trades, 7 wins, 64% win rate)

Cumulative: $3,000 on Day 20, $3,280 on Day 21

Psychological state: Excited but aware of first attempt failure—stayed cautious

Week 4 (Days 22-24): Build Cushion + Safety

Goal: Get to $3,450 cushion, then coast

My approach:

• Reduced to 1 trade per day
• Took only highest-conviction setups
• Okay with flat/small profit days

Result: +$120 profit (3 trades, 2 wins)

Final Phase 1 profit: $3,400 on Day 24

Best day percentage: $520 / $3,400 = 15.3% (safe, well under 35%)

Outcome: Advanced to Phase 2

Phase 2 Strategy: Don't Change What Worked

Phase 2 target: $2,500 (5% of 50K)

My biggest mistake on other evaluations: Thinking "Phase 2 is easier, let me be more aggressive."

What I did right this time: Treated Phase 2 exactly like Phase 1.

Phase 2 Approach

Same trading hours: 9:30-11:30 AM EST

Same position sizing: 1% risk ($500 per trade)

Same daily cap: $400 profit maximum

Same trade limit: 2 trades per day

The only difference: Lower target meant I'd finish faster if I maintained same daily average.

Phase 1 daily average: $142/day ($3,400 ÷ 24 days)

Phase 2 target: $2,500

Projected days at same rate: 17.6 days

Actual completion: 16 days

Result: Passed Phase 2, funded within 40 total days

My Phase 2 Mistakes (And How I Corrected)

Mistake 1: Got Lazy on Day 8

What happened: Hit $1,400 profit (56% of target) and started feeling like Phase 2 was "in the bag."

Result: Took subpar GBP/USD trade during lunch (12:15 PM). Lost -$380.

Correction: Reminded myself this was still evaluation, not funded account. Refocused on morning-only discipline.

Mistake 2: Considered Trading GC (Gold)

Temptation: Saw clean GC setup on Day 11. Thought about diversifying.

What I did: Closed the chart and stuck with EUR/USD. Phase 2 wasn't time to experiment with new instruments.

Result: Avoided potential loss on unfamiliar instrument.

The Psychological Shift That Made It Work

First attempt mindset: "I need to hit $3,000 as fast as possible."

Second attempt mindset: "I have unlimited time. Focus on process, not speed."

This shift changed everything.

I stopped:

• Checking profit total every 2 hours
• Calculating "days remaining to target"
• Forcing trades because "I haven't traded today yet"

I started:

• Focusing on trade quality (setup + execution)
• Celebrating process wins (stuck to morning window, respected stop loss, followed plan)
• Accepting flat days (9 days with <$50 profit—and that was fine)

My Classic Evaluation Checklist

Before starting each day:

• [ ] Reviewed previous day's trades (what worked, what didn't)
• [ ] Checked economic calendar (avoid trading during major news)
• [ ] Set daily profit cap reminder ($400)
• [ ] Confirmed I had 2+ hours available (9:30-11:30 AM minimum)

During trading day:

• [ ] Only trade 9:30-11:30 AM EST window
• [ ] Maximum 2 trades (stop after 2 regardless of outcome)
• [ ] 1% risk per trade ($500 on 50K account)
• [ ] Close at $400 profit (even if more opportunities appear)

End of day:

• [ ] Journal all trades (setup, execution, result, lessons)
• [ ] Calculate best day percentage (highest single day ÷ total profit)
• [ ] Update progress toward target + cushion goal
• [ ] Check drawdown usage (stay under 3% if possible)

Final Phase 1 and Phase 2 Numbers

Phase 1 (24 days):

• Total trades: 34
• Win rate: 58.8% (20 wins, 14 losses)
• Average winner: $240
• Average loser: -$180
• Largest winner: $520
• Largest loser: -$420
• Final profit: $3,400

Phase 2 (16 days):

• Total trades: 23
• Win rate: 60.9% (14 wins, 9 losses)
• Average winner: $260
• Average loser: -$190
• Largest winner: $480
• Largest loser: -$380
• Final profit: $2,500

Combined stats:

• Total days: 40
• Total trades: 57
• Overall win rate: 59.6%
• Never breached drawdown (max usage: 2.8% on Phase 1 Day 11)

The One Thing I'd Change

If I could redo it? I'd start with Phase 2 trade size immediately.

On Phase 2, I maintained exact same 1% risk. But looking back, I could have reduced to 0.75% risk since target was lower and I had cushion from Phase 1 success.

Why it matters: Smaller position size = even more buffer for mistakes = lower psychological pressure

But honestly? The approach worked. I passed. I'm funded. Sometimes "good enough" is perfect.

Bottom Line: Process > Speed

E8 Classic's 11% total target (6% + 5%) feels intimidating. But broken down into $150-200 daily profit over 35-45 days? Completely achievable.

The traders who fail: Rush the process, overtrade, violate drawdown, or breach right after hitting targets

The traders who pass: Stay patient, trade their best setups only, build cushions, maintain discipline post-target

I failed Classic once because I thought speed mattered. I passed Classic when I realized patience and process matter more.

My advice: Plan for 25-30 days Phase 1, 15-20 days Phase 2. Trade mornings only. Cap daily profits at $350-400. Build 15% cushion above targets. Stay disciplined after hitting milestones.

That's how I did it. That's how you can too.

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