AutoPilot Trader Risk Calculator & Position Sizing Guide
Calculate Your Position Size in 60 Seconds
Position sizing determines whether your AutoPilot Trader strategy succeeds or fails. Not your win rate. Not your strategy selection. Your contract size.
Traders with drawdowns under 10% of account balance survive. Above 20%, most don't. This calculator uses real backtest data from January 2025 through April 2026 to show you exactly where you stand.
Quick Start
Select your strategy — NQ, YM, or both
Enter your account size — for prop accounts, use your max drawdown limit
Set your contracts — the calculator will suggest a size if yours is too large
Check your Safety Rating — aim for Conservative or Moderate
How to Interpret Your Results
Safety Rating (Your Quick Answer)
Conservative: Drawdown under 15% of account. Sustainable long-term.
Moderate: Drawdown 15-25%. Standard operating range for most traders.
Aggressive: Drawdown 25-40%. Consider reducing size or adding capital.
Dangerous: Drawdown over 40%. Strongly reduce position size.
Max Drawdown (Your Survival Number)
This is the largest peak-to-trough loss from the backtest period. Ask yourself: if I lost this amount tomorrow, would I panic and shut down the system? If yes, you're oversized.
Expected Return (Context, Not Promise)
This is what the strategy returned over the backtest period at your contract count. It's context for evaluating the drawdown. A $25K drawdown feels different when the expected return is $175K vs $50K.
The One Rule That Predicts Success
After analyzing hundreds of automated trading accounts, one pattern is undeniable:
Mean DD under 25% = 94% survival rate at 12 monthsMean DD over 50% = 31% survival rate at 12 months
This isn't about trading skill. It's about position sizing enabling you to survive drawdowns without panic.
Position Sizing for Prop Firm Traders
A $150K prop account with a $4,500 max drawdown limit has a true risk capital of $4,500. Enter that number, not $150K.
The calculator will likely recommend switching to micro contracts (MNQ or MYM) for small accounts. Click the gold suggestion link and it will toggle to micros and set the right size automatically.
Long Only mode is specifically designed for prop evaluations. Lower drawdowns, higher win rates, no short exposure.
Contract Scaling: What You Need to Know
AutoPilot Trader splits your position into thirds: PT1 exit, PT2 exit, and trail runner. This is why multiples of 3 are recommended.
1 contract: Trail Only mode. No partial exits. Different return profile.
2 contracts: PT1 + Trail. No PT2 exit.
3 contracts: Full 1/1/1 split. The designed base unit.
6, 9, 12...: Scales linearly from the 3-contract base.
If you're running micros, 30 MNQ = 3 NQ and 30 MYM = 3 YM. Same split logic applies.
Running NQ + YM Together
Select "NQ + YM" in the calculator to see combined portfolio performance. The combined drawdown is estimated at 75% of the individual drawdowns added together, since NQ and YM are correlated but don't draw down at the exact same time.
Running both instruments increases total returns while partially diversifying risk. This is how the strategy is designed to be deployed at scale.
Common Mistakes
Using buying power instead of risk capital. Prop traders: enter your max drawdown limit, not your account size.
Starting large and planning to scale down. By the time you scale down, you've already taken the large losses. Start conservative, scale up from profits.
Ignoring contract type. 3 NQ contracts and 3 MNQ contracts are not the same thing. NQ is 10x the exposure. The calculator handles this with the explicit Full/Micro toggle.
Doubling contracts expecting double returns. It also doubles your drawdown and often moves you from Moderate to Dangerous. Run the numbers before sizing up.
