Before testing an EA: five broker-symbol checks in MetaTrader 5

A robot can use the same settings on two terminals and still face different trading conditions. Before comparing results, check the instrument the robot will actually use. The symbol name alone is not enough.

Here is a short checklist you can reproduce in MetaTrader 5 without placing a trade.

1. Confirm the instrument, not just its label

Open Market Watch, right-click the symbol and select Specification. Check its description, contract size, price digits and trading sessions. A broker suffix may simply identify an account type, but similarly named index or commodity instruments can have materially different contracts.

Write down the exact symbol and broker server in your test notes. If an EA is documented for a particular underlying instrument, confirm that your broker's version represents that instrument before attaching it.

2. Separate points from ticks

A point is the price unit associated with the symbol's quoted precision. Tick size is the minimum price change reported for trading. They need not be equal.

For example, suppose a hypothetical index has a point of 0.01 and a tick size of 0.10. A price distance of 0.50 is 50 points and five ticks. Treating those numbers as interchangeable changes stop distances and cost comparisons.

Use the units shown in the EA's documentation. Do not assume that a parameter called “spread” uses pips, points or an absolute price distance: verify it.

3. Read the spread together with its timestamp

The bid/ask spread in points is (ask minus bid) divided by point. For a five-digit hypothetical FX quote of bid 1.10000 and ask 1.10012, with point 0.00001, that is 12 points.

One observation does not describe a whole session. Observe several periods relevant to the strategy, including the time when it normally makes decisions. Record the number of observations and the collection period.

On a weekend or during a session break, the last quote may be old. Its spread is still a historical observation, not a current executable offer. A quote-spread panel also does not measure commission, swap, slippage or execution latency. Evaluate those separately.

4. Check volume and order-distance constraints

Review minimum volume, volume step and maximum volume. A calculated position smaller than the broker's minimum cannot be represented exactly. Rounding it upward can increase the intended risk; rounding it downward can result in no trade.

Also check stop and freeze distances. These are broker constraints expressed in points. A value of zero is not a universal guarantee that every order modification will be accepted. Trading permissions, session availability and the actual server response still matter.

5. Keep a small test record

Before the first test, record:

• Exact symbol, broker server and account currency.
• Point, tick size, contract size and volume constraints.
• Quote timestamp and spread observations with their sample size.
• EA version, input file, timeframe and test dates.
• Tick model, commission and swap assumptions.

Repeat the check when you change broker, account type or instrument. Keep simulated results separate from live account results.

This checklist checks the environment. It does not establish that a strategy has an edge or that an EA will be profitable. Its practical value is simpler: fewer unexplained differences between what you intended to test and what your terminal actually tested.

Reference

MQL5 symbol properties defines the point, tick size, volume and stop-distance fields used here. All numerical examples above are illustrative, not measured broker results.