How to Use MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester Tutorial PDF

The MT4 Strategy Tester in the MetaTrader 4 platform is the environment used to backtest the profitability of an MetaTrader 4 Expert Advisor which is an Automated Bot & determine profitability of this EA automated strategy & then Optimize this EA to a point where it's giving good profits from its automated activities.

Note: Before beginning the MetaTrader 4 Strategy Tester pictured below, you must first attach a EA on a MT4 chart, by going to the Navigator Window Panel, choosing the Expert-Advisor & then right click on it & specify the option 'Attach to Chart', once the Expert-Advisor is attached to the MT4 chart it will appear as pictured below, Then RightClick on the Expert-Advisor, select properties settings & then select option by Checking/Ticking 'Allow Live Trading' & then continue with the MT4 strategy tester shown below.

The MT4 strategy-tester option can be activated from the view menu and it is the second last menu item on View Menu, A short cut is to Press Ctrl+R button keys on your keyboard.

The MT4 Strategy Tester window contains the following Expert-Advisor Parameter Settings for set up prior to testing an Expert Advisor automated system and also for optimizing the profitability of this EA.

Expert Advisor: Parameter for selecting which xauusd Expert-Advisor you want to test among those set up on your MT4 platform.

Symbol: The instrument for which you want to test the EA on

Model: Whether to execute based on tick method, open prices or control points

Use Date: Set the date to begin the testing and date to end the testing of the Expert-Advisor

Visual Mode: Choose To view the illustration of where this EA opens & closes trade as testing goes on, there's also a slide bar to increase or decrease the speed for this visual mode.

Period: Chart Timeframe for which to use example 1 H Chart

Optimization: Allow Optimization Settings for your Expert-Advisor Automated Robot

For example to test the above EA on the chart for profitability, the settings can be set-up as portrayed & shown above & the MetaTrader platform strategy tester is then run, by taping the 'Start Button'.

The following trade results are generated and an automated trader can select to optimize the Expert-Advisor further by changing the Expert-Advisors settings.

Once the optimization of the Expert-Advisor is complete the progress bar will show progress, the above status bar displays the progress that the Expert-Advisor testing is complete.

To view click the options high lighted above (Optimization Results, Optimization Graph, Journal)

Before running this MT4 Strategy Tester for Expert Advisor testing you must navigate to the navigator panel, double-click on this Expert-Advisor to attach it to the chart and set the parameters as illustrated and shown below by ticking the options provided below:

After setting the above settings then you can test your automated strategy within the MT4 strategy tester.

Once you Run your Expert Advisor the Results will be shown on the following window

MT4 Strategy Tester Optimization Results

MT4 Strategies Tester Optimization Graph

MT4 Strategy Tester Balance and Equity Graph

MT4 Strategy Tester Tutorial

Above is just a brief introduction to the MetaTrader 4 strategy-tester - automated trading with EA Bots is a wide topic that a trader will take some time & research to learn about but the main environment to test and optimize the EA automated robot will be the MT4 Strategy Tester.

NB: You can only implement an Automated Expert Advisor using data that has been downloaded and saved on your MT4 software, therefore for the date settings select the dates that you have been trading with your MT4 to get a graph representation of how your automated Expert Advisor would trade.