What Is a One-Step Challenge
A prop firm challenge is an evaluation. You trade a simulated account under fixed rules, and if you meet the objectives, you move on to the stage where rewards become possible. A one-step challenge, also called a one phase prop firm evaluation, puts all of that into a single phase with a single profit target.
Pivex uses this format. The Pivex 1-Step Challenge is one phase with one set of objectives, tracked in your dashboard from your first trade to your last. There is no second round to repeat once the target is reached.
One-Step Versus Two-Step Prop Firm Evaluations
Many firms in the industry also run two-step evaluations. There, the test is split into two phases taken in order, each with its own profit target, and you must pass the first before the second begins. The second phase often has a lower target and asks you to show the same discipline again.
| Aspect | One-step evaluation | Two-step evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Phases | One | Two, taken in order |
| Profit targets | One target | A separate target for each phase |
| Objectives to track | One set | A set for each phase |
| When the evaluation ends | When the single target is reached within the rules | When both phases are passed |
Neither format removes the work. In a 1 step prop firm challenge, every trading day counts toward the same goal, and rules such as a minimum number of trading days and a consistency rule check that the result comes from steady trading rather than one lucky session. The difference is that you prove it once, in one phase.
Every Pivex Objective, With a $100K Example
The rules are the same on every account size; only the dollar value of each limit changes. The table shows each objective as it applies to a $100K account.
| Objective | Rule | On a $100K account |
|---|---|---|
| Profit target | 10% of the starting balance | $10,000 |
| Daily loss limit | 4%, renewed every trading day at 00:00 UTC | $4,000 per trading day |
| Maximum loss | 6% of the starting balance, static | $6,000, which does not move as the account grows |
| Minimum trading days | 5 days with at least one trade each | 5 trading days |
| Consistency | Largest trading day under 50% of total profit | Best day under $5,000 on $10,000 of profit |
| Time limit | None | No deadline |
Because the maximum loss is static, it stays at $6,000 on a $100K account even after the balance grows. The daily loss limit works on a shorter cycle: it renews every trading day at 00:00 UTC, so convert that time to your own time zone and plan your sessions around it.
The Consistency Rule, With a Simple Example
The consistency rule asks that your largest trading day stays under 50% of your total profit. It means a single outsized day cannot carry the whole Challenge. On a $100K account with the $10,000 target reached, your best day needs to be below $5,000.
| Day | Steady pattern | One big day |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | $1,500 | $5,500 |
| Day 2 | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| Day 3 | $3,000 | $1,500 |
| Day 4 | $1,500 | $1,000 |
| Day 5 | $2,000 | $1,000 |
| Total profit | $10,000 | $10,000 |
| Best day as a share of total | 30%, under 50% | 55%, not under 50% |
In the steady pattern, the best day is $3,000, or 30% of the total, so the rule is met. In the second pattern, one $5,500 day is 55% of the total, so the rule is not met. A simple habit helps: cap the profit you plan for any one day well below half of the target.
What Happens If a Loss Limit Is Crossed
If an account crosses the 4% daily loss limit or the 6% maximum loss, its open trades close automatically and that account no longer counts toward the Challenge. You can start again with a new account under the same rules.
- On Pivex Membership, accounts you have not started yet are saved as credits for 3 months, so you can activate a saved credit instead of paying again.
- Membership accounts also include Daily Loss Protection. If an account loses 3% in one trading day, its open positions close and trading on that account pauses, once per account, and the dashboard shows exactly when trading resumes.
- Daily Loss Protection does not change the 4% daily loss limit or the 6% maximum loss.
The best protection is still your own plan. A personal daily stop well below 4% leaves room for slippage and keeps the static maximum loss intact for the days ahead.
