A backtest on a product page is a claim. The only useful question about a claim is whether you can check it. This post describes the fixed routine behind every figure on our MQL5 product pages, so that you can check them — and so that you can hold us to it when a number does not match.
1. One broker, one period, stated in the first line
Every backtest section starts with the same sentence shape: tester, symbol and timeframe, period, tick model, history quality, broker. For example:
MetaTrader 5 Strategy Tester, XAUUSD H1, 2022.02.01 - 2026.09.25, every tick based on real ticks (history quality 100%), Exness Technologies Ltd.
The period is not chosen per product to flatter it. For gold we use one common window, 2022.02.01 to 2026.09.25, for all four gold EAs. Where a symbol does not have real ticks on the test broker for the whole window, we use only the part that does and say so. OIL Surge Break is the example: its test starts at 2025.08.01 because that is where the test broker's real oil ticks begin, and the page says the period is short before it says anything else.
2. Real ticks only, and we report where the tester filled gaps
"History quality 100%" in the report does not mean every minute was real. The tester log records minutes where the real ticks did not match the bar prices and the tester generated its own ticks instead. We read that log line and print it: on our gold tests it is 5.1% of minute bars; on the oil test, 0.2%. It is a small number, but you should know it exists before you compare your run with ours.
3. Default inputs
The figures are for the inputs the EA ships with. We do not publish "optimised" settings next to the product, and we do not tune the defaults on the test window and then report the same window. If a default changes in a new version, the version note says what changed and the backtest is rerun.
4. Three runs with random delay, median shown
The tester's random execution delay changes fills slightly from run to run. A single run can therefore be lucky. We run each test three times with random delay, show the run with the median profit factor, and print the range of all three:
profit factor of the three runs: 1.69 - 1.70; maximum equity drawdown of the three runs: $1,288 - $1,348
If the range is wide, that is information too. Relay Grid, the only grid in our lineup, shows a profit factor range of 1.08 - 1.45 across its three runs, and we print it.
5. The same test on a second broker
Spread and execution matter more than most product pages admit. For the gold EAs we repeat the full test on a second broker (XMTrading KIWAMI, GOLD#) and put that line directly under the main table. Sometimes it is close (Gold Grand Line: PF 1.69 vs 1.66). Sometimes it is not (Gold Flash Scalper: PF 1.53 vs 1.12). Both belong on the page.
6. Year by year, and how concentrated the profit is
A five-year total can hide two good years and three flat ones. Every page has a by-year table (net profit, profit factor, trades) and one extra line: the largest share of net profit that came from any two consecutive years. For Gold Grand Line that is 80.4% from 2025–2026. We list the years with a loss by name.
7. Drawdown in money, not only in percent
Percent drawdown depends on the deposit you chose for the test. We print the maximum equity drawdown in account currency next to the percentage, and state the deposit the test used. With a fixed lot, the money figure is what you should compare with your own account.
How to rerun one of our tests
- Open the Strategy Tester, select the EA, symbol and timeframe from the page.
- Set the period from the page, "Every tick based on real ticks", random delay on.
- Set the initial deposit and leverage from the page. Leave inputs at default.
- Run three times. Compare your median with ours.
Your broker's figures will differ from ours — different spreads and feeds are the point of step 5 above. What should not differ is the shape: roughly the same trade count, the same years positive and negative, a drawdown of the same order. If they do, post in the product comments with your broker and your report, and we will look at it.
The products
- Gold Grand Line MT5 — 29 gold facets on one chart
- Gold Flash Scalper MT5 — one gold trade at a time, from $500
- Gold Nine Layer
- Triple Trigger MT5
- OIL Surge Break MT5
- Relay Grid MT5 — a grid; read its risks first
- Adaptive Closer MT5 — free position manager
