Backtesting FAQ

Why Does My Backtest Differ From Someone Else's?

Broker data, spread, commission, symbol contract details, timezone, and test settings can all change MT4 Strategy Tester results.

Should I Optimize Every Setting?

No. Optimize a focused group of related settings. Optimizing every input at once increases overfitting risk and makes the result harder to understand.

Can I Use Optimized Settings Live Immediately?

No. Run out-of-sample validation and demo forward testing first.

What Is A Good Trade Count?

There is no universal number, but very small samples are unreliable. Review trade count alongside drawdown, profit factor, average trade, and consecutive losses.

Should I Use Fixed Lot Or Percent Risk In Tests?

Use the mode that matches the question you are testing. Fixed lot can make strategy behavior easier to compare. Percent risk is useful when validating account-level risk assumptions.