· Guides · 5 min read
How to Use BULK Exchange Testnet: Claim $1,000, Trade, and Climb the Leaderboard
You can claim $1,000 in paper USDC on BULK testnet right now. Free. 2 minutes. This guide covers setup, faucet mechanics, the sub-account strategy most people are missing, and how the leaderboard ranking actually works.
TL;DR
BULK Exchange testnet at app.bulk.trade provided $1,000 in paper USDC every 72 hours via faucet — free, no real funds required — running the identical matching engine and fair ordering system as mainnet. The $50,000 paper trading competition ended May 28, 2026. BULK mainnet launched September 5, 2026, making the testnet and its faucet historical; AURA and airdrop activity now happen on mainnet.
You could claim $1,000 in paper USDC on BULK’s testnet during the pre-mainnet era. This page documents that environment — mainnet is now live, and AURA is earned on mainnet, not the testnet.
This guide assumes you know nothing about BULK. We’ll cover setup, faucet mechanics, the ranking system, and the sub-account strategy that most people are missing.
Note (September 2026): BULK mainnet is live. This page documents the testnet, which was used for the paper trading competition and pre-mainnet practice. It is now historical — trade on mainnet instead. The faucet and testnet rankings no longer affect AURA, which is earned on mainnet through trading volume, BulkSOL, and referrals.
Step 1: Connect Your Wallet
Go to app.bulk.trade.
Connect with Phantom, Backpack, or Solflare. Also connect your X/Twitter account when prompted — this is an explicit eligibility signal.
This registers your wallet as a master account on the BULK Network. The master account is your root identity — the only account that can claim the faucet, and the parent for all sub-accounts.
Step 2: Claim the Faucet
The testnet faucet gives you 1,000 paper USDC every 72 hours.
How to claim:
- Navigate to the faucet in your account dashboard
- Click “Claim”
- 1,000 USDC is credited instantly
The 72-hour clock starts on your first claim. Claim immediately to maximize the number of cycles.
Paper USDC has no real monetary value. During the testnet era, trading activity and ranking had Aura point value toward the BULK token airdrop allocation — that program has since moved to mainnet.
Step 3: Create Sub-Accounts (Don’t Skip This)
This is the move almost nobody is making.
Each sub-account on BULK is a separate leaderboard entry. You can create up to 9 sub-accounts from your master account — giving you 10 total slots.
The competition rule: only your single highest-ranked account per wallet counts. Lower-ranked accounts get removed, and displaced traders move up.
Translation: run 10 accounts, and if one places in the top 20, you’ve won. The other 9 cost you nothing.
How to create sub-accounts:
- Go to account settings → “Create Sub-Account”
- Name it (1–32 characters, alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores)
- Optionally seed it with USDC from your master account
Transfers between master and sub-accounts are gasless and instant. Each sub-account can have its own layout, leverage settings, and strategy.
Strategy ideas:
- Sub-account 1: Conservative (2–5x leverage, trend following)
- Sub-account 2: Aggressive (20–50x, short-duration scalping)
- Sub-account 3: Market neutral (long/short pairs using portfolio margin)
Step 4: Place Your First Trades
BULK’s testnet is a full perpetual futures exchange. Available markets:
- BTC-USD, ETH-USD, SOL-USD
- DOGE-USD, SUI-USD, BNB-USD, XRP-USD
- FARTCOIN-USD, GOLD-USD, ZEC-USD
Maximum leverage: up to 100x (varies by asset).
Order types:
- Market: Executes immediately at best available price
- Limit GTC: Rests on book until filled or cancelled
- IOC: Immediate-or-cancel, no resting
- ALO (post-only): Guaranteed maker fill or no execution
Conditional orders:
- Stop-loss and take-profit (mark price triggered, reduce-only)
- Range orders (OCO — one-cancels-other)
- Trailing stops (basis points from current price)
- On-fill orders (activate after parent order fills)
The execution model is real: same CLOB, same matching engine, same fair ordering system as mainnet. This is worth learning properly.
Step 5: Understand the Leaderboard
The formula: Cashflow ROI = Realized PnL / Capital Deposited
What counts:
- Closed positions only
- Realized PnL
What doesn’t count:
- Open positions — unrealized PnL has zero weight
- Funding payments and fees (excluded from the metric)
- Withdrawals (they don’t reduce your capital deposited denominator)
The practical implication: Close positions regularly. An open position that’s 50% in profit contributes nothing to your rank until you close it.
Update timing: 15-minute delay after realized fills. Don’t expect instant updates.
Check the leaderboard: app.bulk.trade/leaderboard
Prize Structure (Competition Reference)
The paper trading competition ran May 19–28, 2026, with a $50,000 prize pool:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $15,000 |
| 2nd | $10,000 |
| 3rd | $5,000 |
| 4th–10th | $2,500 → $800 |
| 11th–19th | $500 each |
| 20th–29th | $300 each |
| 30th–39th | $150 each |
| 40th–50th | $100 each |
No KYC. No entry fee. Global eligibility.
Tips to Maximize Your Score
Close trades frequently. Unrealized PnL is your enemy. Every profit needs to be realized to count.
Minimize your capital denominator. Cashflow ROI = PnL / Capital Deposited. Large deposits drag your ratio down. Deposit minimally, trade efficiently.
Use sub-accounts for parallel strategies. You lose nothing from having a low-performing sub-account alongside a high-performing one.
Set conditional orders. Stop-losses and take-profits let you step away while positions work. Don’t let a winner become a loser because you weren’t watching.
Use portfolio margin on hedged positions. Long BTC + short ETH? BULK’s correlation-aware risk engine frees up capital compared to isolated margin.
After the Competition: Mainnet Is Live
The paper trading competition has closed and BULK mainnet launched September 5, 2026. The testnet was the pre-mainnet practice environment — mainnet is where AURA and real trading happen now:
- Real capital, real fees (2.2–3.5 bps taker, 0 bps maker during Genesis Phase through ~October 5)
- Referral program active (referrals earn from a dedicated AURA pool as referred accounts trade)
- Aura points accrue via trading volume, BulkSOL, and referrals
- Real trading volume generates validator fee revenue for BulkSOL holders
→ BULK Mainnet Trading Guide · Mainnet Access Guide
Risk Disclaimer
Testnet activity and the paper trading competition are historical — since mainnet launched September 5, 2026, AURA is earned through mainnet trading volume, BulkSOL holding, and referrals, not testnet participation. Nothing on this page represents a guarantee of any specific BULK token allocation.
Not financial advice.
Back to cluster hub: BULK Token Airdrop Guide
Also in this cluster:
Related: What is BulkSOL? — the capital-committed Aura signal · Sub-Accounts: Why 10 Leaderboard Slots Matters · Glossary: Testnet, Aura Points, Leaderboard
The paper trading competition and AURA eligibility have moved to mainnet — trade real markets now → app.bulk.trade
Historical testnet leaderboard (archival) → app.bulk.trade/leaderboard
0 bps maker fees end ~October 5, 2026.
BULK's Genesis Phase waives maker fees for the first 30 days of mainnet. Trading is invite-only — a free access code plus a referral link gets you in.
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