Expert Advisor Optimization When you buy an Expert Advisor , and use it right out of the package without changing any settings, its default settings may or may not be optimized for current market conditions depending on the last time the settings were optimized. It is a good idea to learn how to optimize an Expert Advisor on your own so you can optimize it for a particular currency pair or timeframe you want to use the EA on since the EA may not have come with default settings you want to use. The video below shows you how to optimize an Expert Advisor by using MT4 (MetaTrader 4) strategy tester (optimization mode). You can get more accurate back test results if you optimize an EA in a MT4 that uses tick data in back testing (please see my video about how to get 99% modelling quality in back test results). I have already optimized several of my EA's using 99% modelling quality. Optimized preset files are included with your purchase of Ed's Candle Pattern EA, or Ed's Discount Bundle. The back tests results have come from the optimized preset files, and 99% modelling quality was used which means if you back test the same settings you might get something totally different if you use 90% modelling quality, and of course if your broker is different. The optimization method shown in the video below only works with some types of MT4 Expert Advisors, and it is a very crud method because MT4 back testing does not use tick-data, nor does it deduct the spread: "MetaTrader [back testing] calculates Pseudo-Ticks and how they could have been on the basis of 1minute candle with the appropriate High/Low/Open/Close". Back testing and optimization can be used as a starting point for you to find setting that you can test on a demo account, and then on a live account. You can optimize some of Ed's Discount EA's (Stochastics SMA EA, Trend Trading EA, MACD EA)using the method shown. But Ed's Price Action EA and Ed's Candle Pattern EA are very sluggish in back testing and optimization (except for a few combination of inputs such as the Inside Bar strategy in Ed's Candle Pattern EA with which I was able to get several back test results ans preset files.) While some Expert Advisors can be optimized in only a few minutes, some Expert Advisors might take many hours to optimize using the method shown. It depends on the EA, and on the choice of inputs you desire to test, and on your timeline choice (are you optimizing for the past year or for the past 10 years)? Although some prefer to optimize an Expert Advisor for many years past, it is often a better idea to optimize the EA for current market conditions, and then periodically run the EA through the optimizer to find new optimized inputs. After you find optimized settings you can use MT4 Strategy Tester visual mode (see video) for further fine tuning, and then test the Expert Advisor on a demo before going live. Since future market conditions are unknown, optimization only provides a starting point for you. But it does save you a lot of time. Watch Video: How to optimize an Expert Advisor 99% Modelling Quality Back Tests vs 90% Modelling Quality Back Tests Back Testing and Optimization Course | 
