Achieving Correct Backtest Results
Support Home - Contact
How to Achieve 90% Modeling Quality When Testing Expert Advisors on MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester
Rule #1: You MUST use a separate installation of MT4 for testing Expert Advisors. This is not an option. This special installation of MetaTrader 4 is the one that you will use from now on to test your Expert Advisors.
Summary of procedure
• Install separate instance of MetaTrader 4 for Expert Advisor testing only
• Update your installation of MetaTrader 4
• Delete demo account and .hst files
• Download Broker data
• Import Broker data into MT4
• Convert M1 data to the different time frames
• Restart MetaTrader 4
Install separate instance of MetaTrader 4
Install MetaTrader in a separate folder. If you already have MetaTrader 4 installed for trading then you will want to download the MetaTrader installer and run it again. During the installation, the wizard will ask you what directory to install on. Make sure you specify a new directory here when you get to this part. Then just run through all the default values of the installer. At the end of that process you will have installed a new instance of MetaTrader 4 on your computer. This one you are going to use for testing only.
Update your installation of MetaTrader 4
After the installation open a demo-account so MT4 can update itself. (Note: You will do this only once!)
Delete demo account and .hst files
After MT4 has updated itself, delete you account by selecting it from the left menu and selecting “Delete” you will be asked for confirmation. Say OK to delete the account. If you do not do this your history data will be overwritten every time you open a chart. Make sure you never have an active account on the instance of MetaTrader that you use for testing.
Navigate within Windows Explorer and find the folder where you have installed your test
version of MT4. Open the folder called “History” and delete everything that ends with *.hst.
Download timeframe data
1) Open up MT4
2) Go to Tools –> History Center (or press F2)
3) Select the pair (EUR/USD for ForexNuke) you wish to download history data for and press the “Download” button
It will warn you that if you download history data from MetaQuotes Software server instead of from your broker and that there will be differences between the data provided by MetaQuotes and your broker.
That should do it! I would still highly recommend that you dedicate one MT4 platform to backtesting only. That mens do not load up any charts on your platform. Just download the history data via the method I’ve outlined above and only use the strategy tester.
|
If you have followed all the instructions above, feel free to email us with any extra queries.
|
Please make sure you have read and understood everything on this page!
If you contact us asking something which is written here, you will not recieve a response.
|
