Demo or Real — where to start
A plan for the first two weeks, and the criteria for moving on.
Define your own criteria for when moving to a real account makes sense.
Demo
- Week 1: 2-3 trades, week 2: up to 5
- The trade size is notional — these are practice numbers
- A broken limit costs a line in the journal
- A balance in profit is not a criterion for moving on
Real
- The same limit: no more than 5 trades a day
- The trade size is minimal, even after a strong demo
- A broken limit costs money out of the deposit
- 50 trades and zero breaches open the door
Demo is a simulator on the same quotes as a real account. The mechanics are identical: the same interface, the same payout, the same buttons. One thing differs — the cost of a mistake.
Which is why demo is not “unserious”. It is exactly as serious as you treat it: with a journal, a fixed amount and a trade limit — or without them.
- Week 1
- — Observation and mechanics only: the interface, expiry, payout, 2–3 trades a day
- Week 2
- — Structure and levels from LEVEL 05-08, up to 5 trades a day, journal compulsory
- After 2 weeks
- — Check the criteria for moving on
The criteria for moving to a real balance are simple and unwelcome at the same time:
- 50 trades in the journal
- No breach of your own limit
- A reason recorded for every trade
- You can describe your 2–3 working situations in words
None of the criteria is “I finished demo in profit.” Profit on demo can be luck. Discipline never is.
When you do move, start at the minimum trade size, even if you worked larger on demo. The first two weeks on a real account are a continuation of the learning, not an attempt to earn.
A note from Leon Mercer Academy
Write your criteria for moving on down on paper before you start demo. Criteria invented while trading always bend to what you want.
Key takeaways
- Demo differs from Real only in the cost of a mistake.
- The criterion for moving on is discipline and the journal, not profit on demo.
- The first two weeks on a real account are at the minimum trade size.
The usual mistake
Moving to a real account after a winning run of five trades. Five trades is noise, and neither a system nor discipline can be seen in it.
A practical example
Two users compared after two weeks of demo.
The first: 200 trades, no balance left, an empty journal, the reason for entering being “it looked like it.” The second: 48 trades, 40 of them with a recorded reason, zero breaches of the limit.
The second is ready for a real account — regardless of which of them has the larger demo balance.
On risk
Moving to a real balance means real financial risk. The size of a deposit is your decision alone, and it should not affect your household budget.
Lesson 10 of 10 in “WELCOME TO MERCER”