A 30-day demo trading plan should test whether your process is repeatable before you pay for a challenge. Spend Week 1 on platform and setup discipline, Week 2 on stable risk, Week 3 on execution quality and Week 4 simulating the intended challenge rules. Judge readiness by rule compliance and decision quality, not maximum demo profit.
Demo practice works best when the environment has clear constraints. Without a schedule, traders often change strategy, size and objectives whenever results become uncomfortable. The account then measures improvisation rather than skill.
This plan can be completed in a standard demo account or an AIFO Free Trial. The current AIFO FAQ states that its Free Trial is a simulation account. It does not provide profit sharing or a funded account.
Before Day 1: Set the Test Rules
Choose the account model you may use later, then copy only the rules confirmed for that model into a one-page practice sheet.
| Setting | What to define | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Market and session | Instruments and hours you will trade | Stops the sample from mixing unrelated conditions |
| Setup | Entry, invalidation and exit rules | Makes each trade auditable |
| Risk per trade | One fixed base size and any reduction rule | Separates strategy results from random sizing |
| Personal daily stop | A stop inside the applicable hard limit | Creates a failure buffer |
| Position limit | Maximum open and correlated exposure | Prevents several trades becoming one large bet |
| Review time | When screenshots and notes are completed | Protects the journal from memory bias |
Write the target account’s current rules from the relevant FAQ and Dashboard. Do not assume that a rule from 1-Step, 2-Step, Instant or Sprint applies to another model.
Week 1: Platform and Process
The first week is about operational accuracy. Keep size small and learn the mechanics before performance becomes the focus.
| Day | Task | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm symbols, contract size, session and platform time | Completed platform checklist |
| 2 | Place, modify and cancel test orders | Order screenshots and notes |
| 3 | Calculate position size before every entry | Planned versus submitted size |
| 4 | Practise stop and target placement | Entry screenshot with risk marked |
| 5 | Trade only the written setup | Valid and rejected setup log |
| 6 | Review commissions, swap and slippage fields | Net result after costs |
| 7 | Complete the first weekly review | Three errors and three controls |
Do not measure Week 1 by profit. A profitable order submitted with the wrong size is an execution failure. A losing trade placed exactly according to the plan may be valid evidence.
Week 2: Risk Consistency
From Days 8–14, keep the same base risk and focus on how exposure accumulates. Record open risk before adding another position. If two trades depend on the same currency, index or macro idea, treat them as correlated.
- Day 8: set the personal daily stop and stop trading when reached.
- Day 9: measure total open risk across positions.
- Day 10: record the largest floating loss before each trade closes.
- Day 11: test the effect of commissions and swap on the daily result.
- Day 12: practise reducing size after a planned drawdown trigger.
- Day 13: take no trade if the setup is absent.
- Day 14: compare planned, submitted and realised risk.
The no-trade day is part of the test. A trader who needs activity every day may force setups during a real evaluation.
Week 3: Execution Quality
Days 15–21 test whether results survive realistic execution. Do not improve the backstory after the trade. Capture the decision before entry.
| Metric | How to record it | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Setup adherence | Valid trades ÷ total trades | Profit depends on rule-breaking entries |
| Size accuracy | Correct-size trades ÷ total trades | Volume changes after wins or losses |
| Entry deviation | Actual entry minus planned entry | Chasing expands risk |
| Stop movement | Count unplanned stop changes | Losses become larger than the model |
| Journal completion | Fully documented trades ÷ total trades | Bad trades have missing notes |
Use Days 15–17 for normal execution, Days 18–19 for difficult conditions and Day 20 for a deliberate no-trade decision when conditions are poor. On Day 21, review screenshots without looking at profit first. Grade the decision, then reveal the outcome.
Week 4: Challenge Simulation
Days 22–28 run as one continuous attempt. Do not reset the account after a bad session, change strategy after a loss or increase risk to finish the target.
- Start with the same reference balance and rules as the selected practice model.
- Track Daily Loss and Maximum Loss headroom before every trade.
- Use the planned session and instruments only.
- Keep the same risk ladder and personal stop.
- Close the week only after all trades and costs are reconciled.
Day 29 is the full review. Day 30 is the decision: proceed, repeat the entire plan or return to one weak week.
Metrics to Track
Profit is one field, not the scorecard.
- net result in R and money;
- maximum daily and total drawdown;
- number of hard-rule and personal-rule breaches;
- average planned risk and actual realised loss;
- win rate, average winner, average loser and expectancy;
- valid setup rate and execution-error count;
- largest winner as a share of total profit;
- days with no valid trade.
Pass, Repeat or Stop Criteria
| Decision | Evidence | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Proceed cautiously | No hard breaches, controlled drawdown, stable sizing and enough valid trades to evaluate | Choose the account whose rules match the tested process |
| Repeat | Process is compliant but sample is too small or one week is abnormal | Repeat with the same written rules |
| Repair one skill | Repeated size, stop, platform or journal errors | Repeat the relevant week before another full simulation |
| Do not purchase yet | Hard-rule breaches, revenge trades or risk increases near the target | Reduce risk and rebuild the process |
A positive month is not enough if the account survived by luck. A flat month can still be useful if it proves disciplined execution and exposes a strategy that needs more evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Practise the complete process: platform operation, written setups, position sizing, stop placement, daily loss control, execution, journaling and post-session review. Profit alone does not show whether the process is repeatable.
No. Thirty days can test workflow and expose obvious problems, but it rarely proves long-term profitability across different market conditions. Continue collecting evidence after the plan.
Take only trades that meet the written setup. A fixed trade quota encourages low-quality entries. Record sample size and repeat the plan if the strategy does not produce enough valid trades.
Track net result in R, rule breaches, maximum daily drawdown, maximum total drawdown, risk consistency, execution errors, setup adherence, average winner, average loser and trading costs where available.
Readiness means the process survives the intended rule set across a meaningful sample without forced trades, repeated sizing errors or hard-rule breaches. The decision should be based on documented behaviour, not one profitable week.
No. The current AIFO Free Trial FAQ states that it is a simulation account with no profit sharing or funded account. It is intended for learning the environment, rules and risk process.
