Comparison sites rank the deals. Firm-owned "academies" teach you just enough to buy an evaluation. We explain the mechanics nobody profits from you misunderstanding — in plain English, with the dollar figures shown.
// what the marketing says, corrected
Every other education site in this space is attached to a firm or an affiliate deal — which means it can never tell you the one thing you most need to hear: sometimes the honest answer is don't buy the evaluation at all. We can, because our only job is getting the mechanics into your head before your money's on the line.
What a tick is worth, how a trailing drawdown really moves, why a micro carries a tenth of the risk — the plumbing, explained once and properly.
No definition without a worked example. "Minimum price fluctuation" teaches nothing; "$12.50 a tick, so this stop risks $500" teaches everything.
Calculators and a drawdown simulator that show you the uncomfortable number — because a firm-owned site has no reason to.
Three free tools, no sign-up. Each one exists to make a hidden number visible.
Pick an instrument, set your stop in ticks, and see the dollar figure — plus what the identical trade would cost in the mini or micro twin. The number that should decide your position size, before you place it.
Use the calculator ↓The same trades, judged by trailing, end-of-day and static drawdown rules side by side. It's the mechanic that fails more evaluations than bad trading does — and seeing it once changes how you pick an account forever.
Open the simulator →Enter any firm's numbers — evaluation fee, likely resets, activation, data — and see the spend from first attempt to first payout, and how small the advertised price is next to it.
Use the calculator ↓A micro contract tracks the identical index or metal — the only difference is size. Each tick costs a tenth as much, which is exactly why micros exist: they let you learn, and size prop evaluations sensibly, without every wobble costing three figures.
| Market | Contract | Tick size | Tick value | 10-tick stop risks | 40-tick stop risks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 E-mini ES | Mini | 0.25 pts | $12.50 | $125 | $500 |
| S&P 500 Micro MES | Micro | 0.25 pts | $1.25 | $12.50 | $50 |
| Nasdaq-100 E-mini NQ | Mini | 0.25 pts | $5.00 | $50 | $200 |
| Nasdaq-100 Micro MNQ | Micro | 0.25 pts | $0.50 | $5 | $20 |
| Gold GC | Full | $0.10 | $10.00 | $100 | $400 |
| Micro Gold MGC | Micro | $0.10 | $1.00 | $10 | $40 |
| Crude Oil CL | Full | $0.01 | $10.00 | $100 | $400 |
| Micro Crude MCL | Micro | $0.01 | $1.00 | $10 | $40 |
Worked example: a 2-contract MNQ trade with a 40-tick stop risks 2 × 40 × $0.50 = $40. The same trade in NQ risks $400 — enough to breach the daily loss limit on many $50k evaluation accounts in two trades. Full guide: Ticks and Points: The Futures Trader's Guide.
Every definition comes with a worked example in real dollars — because "the minimum price fluctuation of a contract" tells you nothing about what it costs when you're wrong.
Pick your market and climb: Learn the Language → Size the Risk → Decode the Firms. The two tracks meet where prop firm mechanics apply to everyone.
From "what's a tick worth?" to sizing minis and micros against a daily loss limit. Indices, gold and crude.
The BridgePips vs ticks vs points, lots vs contracts, and the three ways to trade gold — the translation layer between markets.
Prop firm mechanicsDrawdown regimes, consistency rules, payouts and the true cost of funding — decoded so you can read any rulebook.
Prop Firm Novice