How Long Should You Paper Trade Before Going Live?

Short answer: it's not about time, it's about evidence. Paper trade until you have a written plan, at least 30 sessions logged, a positive expectancy after costs, and proof you followed your plan on most days. For most beginners that's a few months, not a few days.

The go-live checklist

• A written plan you haven't changed in at least 30 sessions. See how to build a trading plan.
• At least 30 sessions logged, every trade in points. What a trading journal is.
• Plan followed on most days. If you broke your rules often, your results measure your discipline, not your strategy.
• Positive expectancy after realistic costs, with commission set in the simulator.
• You know your worst stretch: the biggest run of losing sessions and what it cost. That's the drawdown you'll have to sit through for real.

Why 30 sessions?

Ten trades tell you almost nothing; a few lucky days can look like a strategy. Thirty sessions isn't proof either, but it's enough to spot whether you follow your rules and whether the setup shows an edge. If the numbers are close, run another 30.

When you go live

Start with the smallest size available, like one micro contract, keep the same log, and expect results to be a bit worse than paper. If real money changes how you trade, go back to the plan, not back to paper forever.

Where to practice

TradingView (affiliate link) has a free paper trading account on real charts. My free course, The Paper Route, is built around exactly these 30 sessions.

Education only, not investment advice. Most people who day trade lose money. Simulated results have limits. TradingView links on this page are affiliate links: if you sign up or upgrade, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. TradingView changes its plans and menus from time to time; check its site for what's current.