EA testing guides: every question we answer

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Published 12 November 2026 · methods v2.5 · by TrueTest

Each guide answers one question about testing an Expert Advisor, a trading bot, an indicator or a trading record, with our own numbers and a free way to check your own case. There are 22 guides so far.

Which question do you have?

• Is my EA backtest real or luck?: a good backtest can be luck: the luck bar, a worked example and the free test
• MT5 Strategy Tester report checker: upload an MT5 Strategy Tester report for a free second opinion (luck, costs, years, grid/martingale signs)
• Free forex EA tester online: what the free EA test gives you, what is paid, and how long it takes
• Is my EA martingale or grid? How to tell: the code and record signs of martingale and grid EAs, and the checks the free tester runs
• How to test a gold (XAUUSD) EA properly: what a fair XAUUSD backtest needs: gold costs, swaps, long history, and the free test
• How many backtests? Overfitting explained: overfitting in plain words: count your tries, see how the bar rises, and how optimisation passes count
• EA costs: spread, commission and swap: what spread, commission, slippage and swaps cost an EA, hour by hour, with worked examples
• TrueTest vs StrategyQuant, Forex Tester, MT5: an honest comparison with the MT5 Strategy Tester, StrategyQuant X and Forex Tester: what each does better
• MQL5 / MQL4 EA code checker: the MQL5 / MQL4 code faults the free first read finds, with examples
• EA trading at the wrong hour? Server time: why session EAs trade at the wrong hour: server time, GMT offset, daylight saving, and the clock sweep
• Why live results are worse than the backtest: the usual reasons live results fall short of an MT5 backtest, and how to check each one before you trade
• Does my EA repaint or look ahead?: how repainting and look-ahead inflate backtests, the code signs, and the look-ahead probe
• Can a scalping EA make money after costs?: our scalping search with costs, and the break-even win rate arithmetic for small targets and stops
• Does my EA make money every year?: why a total can hide losing years, how every year is shown, and a real example from our own tests
• Will my EA pass a prop-firm challenge?: what a backtest says about prop-firm drawdown and daily-loss rules, and what it cannot say
• What to check before you buy an EA: a ten-point checklist before buying an EA, with a free check for each point
• How do I check an MT4 or MT5 account statement?: how the free record check reads an MT4 or MT5 account statement: tables, deposits, partial history, extra costs
• What is a forward test, and why does a backtest need one?: forward test vs walk-forward test in plain words, and why REAL needs new trades after the rules were frozen
• Can I test a TradingView Pine strategy outside TradingView?: drop a .pine file: the Pine faults the first read flags, and the rebuilt test with costs over many years
• What is a t-value in trading? In plain words: the t-value in plain words, a worked example, day grouping, TOO FEW, and how it meets the luck bar
• Is my EA over-optimised? The one-step test: the one-step neighbour test for over-optimised settings: how each setting is moved, and when the lab calls the result FRAGILE
• How do I backtest a Python trading bot with real costs?: send a Python trading bot: the faults the first read finds, why the .py is never run, and the rebuilt test with costs

Where do the answers come from?

From our own tests, our recorded broker costs and the code our checks really run. Each page shows when it was published and last updated. Not financial advice.

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