The session report summarizes a completed backtest into an overall score, a balance curve, trade statistics, risk metrics, time-based breakdowns, and a full trade history. Read together, these answer the only question that matters: does this strategy have a real, survivable edge?
The overall score
At the top, an overall score blends the key measures - things like profit factor, Sharpe, win rate, and maximum drawdown - into a single at-a-glance read. It is a useful summary, but never the whole story. Treat it as a headline and read the details underneath before drawing conclusions.
The balance curve
The balance (equity) curve plots your account across the session. Look for a steady climb rather than one vertical jump, shallow rather than deep dips, and gains spread across many trades. The shape often tells you more than the final number.
Trade statistics
This block holds the core numbers you must read as a group:
- Win rate - how often you won, meaningful only beside risk-to-reward.
- Expectancy - the average result per trade; the profitability verdict.
- Average win and loss - the sizes behind the win rate.
- Trade count - your sample size; small samples make everything unreliable.
Risk metrics
Here you will find profit factor, maximum drawdown, and related measures. Profit factor tells you how efficient the strategy was; drawdown tells you the worst pain it inflicted. A strong profit factor with a survivable drawdown is the combination you want.
Day and hour breakdowns
Forex is session-driven, and the report breaks results down by day and hour. If most losses cluster in one window, you may not need a new strategy - just a session filter. These breakdowns often reveal the easiest wins in a backtest.
The trade history
Finally, every trade is listed with its entry, exit, result in R, and setup tag. This is where you run the outlier test - remove your best trade and see if the edge survives - and where you group by setup to find which patterns actually pay.
Important: read the report as a system, not a scoreboard. A great score on a tiny sample, or a strong profit factor built on one outlier, is a warning dressed as a win. The sections check each other - use them together.
From report to decision
Every report should end in one of four choices: keep the strategy and forward test, refine a single rule and retest, add a session or condition filter, or discard. Generate a report after your next session and practice reading it top to bottom - it is the skill that turns raw trades into a real edge.
Session report FAQ
What is in a backtest session report?
An overall score, a balance curve, trade statistics like win rate and expectancy, risk metrics such as profit factor and drawdown, day and hour breakdowns, and a full trade history.
What should I look at first?
Sample size and the balance curve, then expectancy and profit factor together, then maximum drawdown. No single number is enough alone.
How do I know if my backtest is good?
A large enough sample, positive expectancy and profit factor after costs, a survivable drawdown, and a curve that climbs through many trades rather than one spike.