TradeDay 30% Consistency Rule: Calculator and Strategy

Written by Paul

Published on

January 9, 2026

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Quick heads-up: This article is based on my real experience with TradeDay and the info available when I published/updated this. Things change in prop trading — rules, payouts, promos, all of it.

For the absolute latest, check TradeDay´s website or their faq page.

You're crushing your TradeDay evaluation. You made $1,400 on Day 2 with a perfect setup that played out beautifully. You're thinking "I'm more than halfway to my $2,500 target already, this is easy." Then you finish the evaluation with $2,600 total profit, submit for review, and get denied. Reason: consistency rule violation.

The 30% consistency rule is the silent killer of TradeDay evaluations. You can hit your profit target, complete 5 trading days, stay within drawdown limits, and still fail because one single day represented too much of your total profit.

I failed my second TradeDay evaluation this exact way. Made $1,300 on Day 2 out of $2,400 total profit. That's 54% of my total. I didn't realize I'd violated consistency until I submitted for review and got the rejection email. I'd spent $300 in subscription fees and three weeks of trading for nothing because I didn't understand the math.

This is your complete guide to TradeDay's 30% consistency rule: the exact calculation, why it exists, how to track it in real-time, strategies to avoid violations, and what to do if you have a massive winning day early in your evaluation.

What the 30% Consistency Rule Actually Is

The rule states: No single trading day can account for more than 30% of your total profit during evaluation.

The Basic Formula

Single Day Profit ÷ Total Profit = Percentage If Percentage > 30% → You failed consistency If Percentage ≤ 30% → You passed consistency

Example 1 - Pass:

Day 3 profit: $600
Total evaluation profit: $2,500
Calculation: $600 ÷ $2,500 = 24%
Result: ✅ Pass (24% is under 30%)

Example 2 - Fail:

Day 2 profit: $1,200
Total evaluation profit: $2,600
Calculation: $1,200 ÷ $2,600 = 46.2%
Result: ❌ Fail (46.2% exceeds 30%)

The rule applies to every single day in your evaluation. If any one day crosses 30%, you've violated consistency even if you hit all other objectives.

What Counts as a "Day"

A trading day counts when:

You open at least one position
You hold it for minimum duration (2-5 minutes based on reports)
It's a separate calendar day from other trades

What doesn't count:

Days where you don't trade at all
Holding overnight positions from previous days (doesn't count as a new day)

Your "biggest day" is measured by profit on that calendar day, not by position hold time.

When the Rule Applies

During Evaluation: The 30% rule is strictly enforced. Every day is checked when you submit for review.

After Getting Funded: The rule completely disappears. Once funded, you can make 95% of your monthly profit in one day and nobody cares.

For details on what changes when funded, see the funded account rules guide.

Why TradeDay Has This Rule

The consistency requirement exists to prevent traders from "lucky" passing evaluations without sustainable skill.

The Problem They're Preventing

Without consistency rule:

Trader makes $2,500 on Day 1 through extreme risk or luck
Stops trading, submits for review
Gets funded despite no proven consistency
Blows funded account within days

With consistency rule:

Trader makes $2,500 on Day 1
Now needs to make at least $5,833 total ($2,500 ÷ 30% = $8,333 minimum required total)
Must demonstrate additional $3,333+ in profit across other days
Proves consistency over multiple sessions

The Theory

TradeDay wants to fund traders who can produce steady profits, not traders who hit one lucky home run. The consistency rule forces you to demonstrate repeatable performance.

The Reality

In practice, the consistency rule mostly just punishes traders who don't understand the math. Experienced traders know to monitor their daily percentages and adjust their approach accordingly.

The Math: How to Calculate Your Daily Percentages

Let's work through detailed examples so you understand the calculation.

Example Scenario 1: Clean Pass

Your Trading Results:

Day 1: +$400
Day 2: +$500
Day 3: +$350
Day 4: +$600
Day 5: +$450
Day 6: +$300
Total Profit: $2,600

Consistency Check:

Biggest day: Day 4 at $600
Calculation: $600 ÷ $2,600 = 23.1%
Result: ✅ Pass (under 30%)

All objectives met, evaluation passes.

Example Scenario 2: Failed Consistency

Your Trading Results:

Day 1: +$200
Day 2: +$1,400 ← huge winner
Day 3: +$100
Day 4: +$300
Day 5: +$250
Day 6: +$350
Total Profit: $2,600

Consistency Check:

Biggest day: Day 2 at $1,400
Calculation: $1,400 ÷ $2,600 = 53.8%
Result: ❌ Fail (exceeds 30%)

You hit your profit target and all other objectives, but you failed consistency. Evaluation denied.

Example Scenario 3: Early Big Winner, Adjusted Strategy

Your Trading Results:

Day 1: +$350
Day 2: +$1,200 ← big winner
Day 3: +$0 (took day off to reassess)
Day 4: +$0 (still off)
Day 5: +$800
Day 6: +$600
Day 7: +$550
Day 8: +$500
Total Profit: $4,000

Consistency Check:

Biggest day: Day 2 at $1,200
Calculation: $1,200 ÷ $4,000 = 30%
Result: ✅ Pass (exactly 30%, squeaked by)

You recognized the Day 2 winner was too big, so you traded aggressively on remaining days to dilute that percentage below 30%.

The Minimum Total Required Formula

If you have a big winning day, you can calculate the minimum total profit needed to stay under 30%:

Minimum Total Profit = Big Day Profit ÷ 0.30

Example:

You made $1,500 on Day 3
Minimum total needed: $1,500 ÷ 0.30 = $5,000
You need at least $5,000 total profit to keep Day 3 under 30%
That means another $3,500 beyond your original $2,500 target

This is why big early winners are dangerous — they force you to make significantly more total profit than your original target.

Real-Time Consistency Tracking

Don't wait until you submit for review to check consistency. Track it daily.

Manual Calculation Method

After each trading day, calculate your percentages:

Simple spreadsheet format:

Day	Daily P&L	Cumulative Total	Biggest Day	Percentage
1	+$400	$400	$400	100%
2	+$600	$1,000	$600	60%
3	+$300	$1,300	$600	46.2%
4	+$500	$1,800	$600	33.3%
5	+$400	$2,200	$600	27.3% ✅

Track this in Google Sheets or Excel. Update it every trading day.

Using TradeDay's Dashboard

TradeDay's dashboard shows your consistency breakdown:

Go to evaluation progress
Look for "Consistency" section
It displays all trading days and their percentage of total profit
Highlights the biggest day with current percentage

Check this daily before logging off your trading session. If you're approaching 30%, adjust your strategy.

Building a Personal Calculator

Create a simple calculator using this structure:

Input fields:

Total profit so far: $____
Today's profit: $____

Automatic calculations:

New total: [Total + Today]
Today's percentage: [Today ÷ New Total]
Warning if > 30%

Mobile Tracking

Most traders use their phone's calculator:

Quick check formula:

Divide biggest day by current total
Multiply by 100 to get percentage
Check if under 30

Example:

Biggest day: $750
Current total: $2,400
Calculation: (750 ÷ 2400) × 100 = 31.25%
Result: ⚠️ Warning (over 30%)

Strategies to Avoid Consistency Violations

Here's how to navigate the consistency rule without restricting your trading.

Strategy #1: Set Daily Profit Caps Early

Especially in the first few days, limit your maximum profit per day.

Recommended caps:

$100K account ($2,500 target): Cap days at $600-700 for first 5-7 days
$50K account ($1,500 target): Cap days at $400-450 for first 5-7 days
$150K account ($3,750 target): Cap days at $900-1,000 for first 5-7 days

How to enforce:

Hit your cap → stop trading for the day
Close your platform, walk away
Come back tomorrow

This ensures no single day dominates your total early on.

Strategy #2: The Early Big Winner Protocol

If you accidentally make a huge profit in your first few days, follow this protocol:

Step 1 - Calculate Minimum Total Needed:

Big day profit × 3.34 = minimum total required (to hit exactly 30%)
Example: $1,200 × 3.34 = $4,008 minimum total

Step 2 - Determine Remaining Profit Needed:

Minimum total - current total = profit still needed
Example: $4,008 - $1,200 = $2,808 more needed

Step 3 - Plan Your Remaining Days:

How many days do you have left?
Divide remaining profit by remaining days
Example: $2,808 ÷ 6 days = $468 per day average needed

Step 4 - Execute Plan:

Trade aggressively but carefully to hit those daily targets
Don't stop trading early just because you hit your original $2,500 target
Push to the minimum total needed

Strategy #3: Spread Profit Evenly from Day 1

The safest approach: aim for equal daily profits from the beginning.

$100K account example (need $2,500 total):

Plan for 8 trading days
Target: $312 per day
Actual results will vary, but you're aiming for consistency
Biggest day might be $500, smallest $200
This naturally keeps you under 30%

Implementation:

Stop trading each day once you hit your daily target
If you hit it early (1-2 hours), great — stop
If you're struggling, keep going but don't overtrade

Strategy #4: The "Leave Room" Approach

Always assume you might have losing days ahead.

Buffer strategy:

Target 120-130% of your profit goal
$100K account: Target $3,000-3,250 instead of $2,500
This gives buffer for consistency AND potential losing days

Why this works:If your biggest winner is $800 and your total is $3,000:

$800 ÷ $3,000 = 26.7% (safe)

If your biggest winner is $800 and your total is $2,500:

$800 ÷ $2,500 = 32% (failed)

The extra profit creates cushion for both consistency and drawdown recovery.

Strategy #5: The "Split Big Winners" Technique

If you're in a massive winner during a session, consider closing partial position.

Example:

You're long 2 NQ at 16,000
Market rallies to 16,100 (+$400 per contract = $800 total unrealized)
You recognize this could violate consistency
Close 1 contract at 16,100 (+$400 locked)
Hold remaining contract, let it run or stop at breakeven

Result: You captured $400 profit today instead of $800+, making it easier to stay under 30%.

Trade-off: You gave up potential profit to protect consistency. But keeping your evaluation alive is worth more than maximizing one trade.

Strategy #6: Take Days Off After Big Winners

This gives you time to reassess without making emotional decisions.

Post-big-winner protocol:

Make $1,000+ on Day 2 → take Day 3 off completely
Use that day to:
- Calculate minimum total needed
- Adjust your game plan
- Let emotions settle
Resume Day 4 with clear strategy

Don't force trades the day after a massive winner. You're likely overconfident or tilted.

What Happens If You Violate Consistency

Let's say you submit for review and TradeDay denies you for consistency violation.

The Evaluation Review Rejection

You'll receive an email:

"Your evaluation has been reviewed and we're unable to approve it at this time. Reason: Consistency requirement not met. Day 2 represented 38% of your total profit, exceeding the 30% maximum."

Your Options After Denial

Option 1 - Keep Trading:

Your evaluation isn't over, you're just denied for THIS submission
Keep trading, make more profit to dilute the big day
Resubmit once you're under 30%

Example:

Current: $2,600 total, biggest day $1,200 (46%)
Trade more, reach $4,200 total
Biggest day still $1,200, but now: $1,200 ÷ $4,200 = 28.6% ✅
Resubmit for review → approved

Option 2 - Reset Account:

Pay reset fee ($75-189 depending on account size)
Start completely fresh
All progress erased, including the consistency violation

Which to choose:

If you're close to fixing it (only need $500-1,000 more profit) → keep trading
If you're far from fixing it (need $3,000+ more profit) → consider reset
If you're approaching drawdown limits → reset before you blow it

The Cost of Failing Consistency

Time cost:

2-4 weeks of trading wasted
Have to restart or keep grinding

Money cost:

If you reset: $75-189 reset fee
If you keep trading: more subscription fees accumulating

Psychological cost:

Frustration of "I hit my target but still failed"
Pressure to trade more to fix the violation

This is why tracking consistency daily is critical — catch problems early before you're deep into the evaluation.

Common Consistency Mistakes

Here are the errors traders make repeatedly.

Mistake #1: Not Tracking Until Submission

The error: Trade for 3 weeks, hit your target, submit for review, only THEN realize you violated consistency.

The fix: Track your daily percentages in a spreadsheet from Day 1. Check it every single day.

Mistake #2: Quitting After Hitting Target

The error: Make $2,500 on a $100K account with a $1,300 Day 2. Think "I'm done!" Stop trading, submit for review, get denied.

The fix: Calculate minimum total needed ($1,300 ÷ 0.30 = $4,333). Don't stop at $2,500 — keep trading until you hit $4,333+.

Mistake #3: Forcing Trades to Fix Consistency

The error: Realize you're at 35% on Day 8. Panic. Overtrade Days 9-10 trying to quickly make $2,000 more. Blow through drawdown.

The fix: If you're approaching drawdown limits, reset rather than risking a blowup. Don't force trades out of desperation.

Mistake #4: Not Understanding Losing Days

The error: Think that having losing days will help consistency by spreading out your wins.

The reality: Losing days HURT consistency because they reduce your total profit denominator.

Example:

Scenario A: +$500, +$600, +$700, +$800 = $2,600 total. Biggest: 30.8%
Scenario B: +$500, +$600, -$300, +$700, +$800, +$400 = $2,700 total. Biggest: 29.6%

Yes, Scenario B is under 30%, but you had to make $3,000 gross profit (before the -$300 day) to get there. Losing days don't help — they're just deadweight.

Mistake #5: Thinking "Close Enough" Is Good Enough

The error: Finish with biggest day at 31.2%. Think "That's basically 30%, they'll probably let it slide."

The reality: 30% is a hard limit. 30.1% is a failure. There's no leniency or rounding in your favor.

The fix: Aim for 28-29% maximum to give yourself buffer for calculation variations.

Consistency Rule Comparison Table

Here's how the rule works across different account sizes:

Account Size	Profit Target	Max Single Day (30%)	If You Make This On Day 1	Minimum Total Needed
$50K	$1,500	$450	$800	$2,667
$100K	$2,500	$750	$1,200	$4,000
$150K	$3,750	$1,125	$1,800	$6,000

Use these numbers as guardrails. If you approach the "Max Single Day" amount early in your evaluation, you're entering dangerous territory.

Tools and Calculators

Here are resources to help you track consistency.

DIY Spreadsheet Template

Create a Google Sheet with these columns:

Column headers:

Date
Daily P&L
Cumulative Total
Biggest Day So Far
Biggest Day Percentage
Status (Pass/Warn/Fail)

Formulas:

Cumulative Total: =SUM($C$2:C2) (running sum)
Biggest Day: =MAX($C$2:C2) (largest daily profit)
Percentage: =D2/C2 (biggest ÷ cumulative)
Status: =IF(E2>0.30,"FAIL",IF(E2>0.28,"WARN","PASS"))

Mobile Calculator Method

Use your phone's calculator for quick checks:

Steps:

Open calculator app
Enter biggest day profit
Press ÷
Enter current total profit
Press =
Multiply by 100
Check if under 30

Example:

850 ÷ 2750 = 0.309 × 100 = 30.9% (over limit)

TradeDay Dashboard Method

The easiest option:

Log into TradeDay dashboard
Go to your evaluation account
Click "Consistency" or "Progress"
View all trading days with percentages displayed
Biggest day is highlighted

This is automatic and always current. Check it after every trading session.

Third-Party Tools

Some traders use prop firm tracking platforms:

PropTrack (example, may not exist):

Connects to TradeDay API
Automatically calculates consistency
Sends alerts when approaching 30%
Cost: $10-20/month

Check TradeDay-focused Discord communities for recommended tools.

Case Studies: Consistency Violations and Recoveries

Let's look at real scenarios (anonymized).

Case Study 1: The Day 2 Disaster

Trader A's results:

Day 1: +$300
Day 2: +$1,600 (massive NQ breakout trade, held 2 contracts for 40 points)
Day 3: +$200
Day 4: +$400
Total: $2,500 (hit target!)

Consistency check:

$1,600 ÷ $2,500 = 64% (FAIL)

What happened:

Submitted for review, denied
Trader panicked, tried to overtrade Days 5-6 to fix it
Hit drawdown limit on Day 6
Had to reset ($150 fee) and start over

Lesson: Don't submit until you've verified consistency. If Trader A had checked, they could have kept trading to reach $5,333 total ($1,600 ÷ 0.30) before submitting.

Case Study 2: The Recovery

Trader B's results:

Day 1: +$250
Day 2: +$1,300 (big winner)
Day 3: Stopped trading to calculate
Realized needed $4,333 total minimum
Days 4-10: Systematically traded for $250-400 per day
Final total: $4,450

Consistency check:

$1,300 ÷ $4,450 = 29.2% (PASS)

What happened:

Recognized the problem early
Created a plan
Executed the plan over 10 total trading days
Passed evaluation

Lesson: Early recognition and strategic response saved the evaluation.

Case Study 3: The Reset Decision

Trader C's results:

Day 1: +$400
Day 2: +$1,500 (huge winner)
Days 3-8: Struggling, only made $900 more
Total after Day 8: $2,800 ($1,500 ÷ $2,800 = 53.6%)
Needed $5,000 total to fix consistency
Current drawdown: $2,200 of $3,000 max

Decision:

Trader reset rather than risking drawdown violation while trying to make $2,200 more
Paid $150 reset fee
Started fresh, passed on second attempt

Lesson: Sometimes cutting your losses and resetting is smarter than trying to salvage a bad situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does consistency still apply after I'm funded?

No. Once funded, the 30% rule disappears completely. You can make 100% of your monthly profit in one day. For details, see the funded account rules guide.

What if I have a losing day? How does that affect consistency?

Losing days reduce your total profit, which makes your biggest winning day a larger percentage. Losing days hurt consistency — they don't help.

Can I request an exception if I'm at 31% instead of 30%?

No. The 30% limit is firm. 30.1% = failure. There are no exceptions or manual reviews that override this.

What if two days are tied for biggest?

It doesn't matter. If your two biggest days are $700 each and your total is $2,800, you check: $700 ÷ $2,800 = 25%. As long as the biggest day (or tied days) are under 30%, you pass.

Does the rule apply to calendar days or trading days only?

Trading days only. Days when you don't trade at all aren't counted in the calculation.

If I reset my account, does my consistency violation carry over?

No. Reset = complete fresh start. Your new evaluation has no memory of the previous one's consistency issues.

Can I see my consistency percentage before submitting for review?

Yes. TradeDay's dashboard shows it in real-time. Always check before submitting.

Bottom Line: Track It Daily, Adjust As Needed

The 30% consistency rule isn't there to make your life harder — it exists to ensure you can produce consistent profits over multiple days, not just one lucky winner.

The rule is easy to follow if you:

Track your daily percentages from Day 1
Don't let any single day exceed $700-750 (on a $100K account) early on
Adjust your strategy if you accidentally make a huge winner
Don't submit for review until you've verified you're under 30%

Most traders who fail consistency do so because they didn't track it properly, not because they couldn't adjust their trading. Don't be one of them.

For complete evaluation requirements and strategies to pass, see the how to pass TradeDay evaluation guide. And for everything else about TradeDay, check the full TradeDay review.

Track daily. Stay under 30%. Pass your evaluation.