Quick Start
Get from zero to your first simulated trade in just a few minutes. This guide walks you through creating an account, configuring a replay session, placing a trade, and reviewing your results.
Prerequisites
- A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
- An internet connection
- That’s it — TestMax runs entirely in your browser
Your first trade
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Create your account
Head to test-max.com and click Get Started. You can sign up with your email address or use Google sign-in. You will land on the main dashboard after completing registration.
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Open the trading dashboard
From the sidebar, click Dashboard. This is where all trading happens. You will see the chart area in the center, the order entry panel on the right, and playback controls at the bottom.
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Select an instrument
Use the instrument selector at the top of the dashboard to pick what you want to trade. Choose an instrument enabled for your plan. The futures listed below currently require Pro; EURUSD is Free-enabled:
Symbol Instrument Tick Size Tick Value NQ Nasdaq 100 E-mini 0.25 $5.00 ES S&P 500 E-mini 0.25 $12.50 GC Gold Futures 0.10 $10.00 EURUSD Euro/US Dollar (Free-enabled) 0.00001 $1.00 Check the plan badge before selecting an instrument. Crude oil is available as LIGHTCMDUSD (WTI CFD), not CL futures. The instrument picker shows current access and specifications.
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Pick a date and timeframe
Click the date field to open the calendar and choose which historical session you want to replay. Days without market data (weekends and exchange holidays) are greyed out, and on the Free plan older days carry a PRO marker — selecting one shows the upgrade options. Use the month and year dropdowns in the calendar header to jump straight to a date. Then select your preferred chart timeframe from the timeframe dropdown:
- 5s / 10s / 15s / 30s (Pro) — Sub-minute bars where supported by the instrument data
- 1m — One-minute candles (good for scalping practice)
- 5m — Five-minute candles (ideal for day trading)
- 15m / 30m — Intermediate timeframes for swing-style entries
- 1h / 4h / 1d — Higher timeframes for context and structure
- Custom (Pro) — Tap + to type any timeframe you like (7m, 90m, 2h…) or pick weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly bars. Available values vary by instrument, and the picker tells you which ones fit.
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Start the replay
Press the Play button in the playback controls at the bottom of the chart, or hit the Space bar on your keyboard. The chart will begin advancing through historical data bar by bar. Use the speed slider to adjust playback speed from 1x (two bars per second on any timeframe) up to 50x (fast-forward). Pro accounts can switch on Real time, where 1x plays each bar for its market duration — a 5-minute bar takes five minutes.
You can also use the Step button or press the right arrow key (→) to advance one bar at a time. This is useful for studying price action carefully before deciding on an entry.
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Place your first trade
When you see an opportunity, place a trade using one of these methods:
- Press B to buy at market price
- Press S to sell at market price
- Press F to flatten (close) all positions
- Set the quantity in the order entry panel on the right
- Choose your order type (Market, Limit, Stop, or Bracket)
- For limit and stop orders, enter your desired price
- Click Buy or Sell to submit the order
For your first trade, simply press B to buy one contract at market. You will see the position appear in the positions panel below the chart, along with a real-time P&L calculation.
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Manage your position
Watch the price move and your unrealized P&L update in real time. When you are ready to close the trade:
- Press F to flatten all positions instantly
- Or place an opposite order (press S if you are long) to close manually
Your realized P&L will update in the account bar at the bottom of the screen.
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Review your results
After closing the trade, navigate to Analytics in the sidebar to review your performance. You will see:
- Equity curve — A visual graph of your account balance over the session
- Trade history — Every order and fill with timestamps, prices, and P&L
- Session summary — Total P&L, win rate, average win/loss, and more
What to try next
Now that you have completed your first trade, here are some ways to deepen your practice:
Experiment with order types
Instead of market orders, try placing a limit order below the current price to buy on a pullback. Or set up a bracket order with a stop loss and take profit to practice disciplined risk management.
Change the playback speed
Start at 1x to watch each bar close. Then try 10x or 25x to cover more ground and get more reps in. Use the step-forward feature (right arrow key) to pause and analyze before each bar.
Try different instruments
Each market has its own personality. NQ tends to trend strongly during the US session. GC (Gold) often reacts to global macro events. Oil CFD prices can be volatile around inventory reports. Practice on instruments enabled for your plan.
Start a challenge
If your goal is to pass an evaluation challenge, head to the Challenge Mode section and start a preset with trailing drawdown rules and profit targets.
Common questions
Do I need to download anything?
No. TestMax runs entirely in your web browser. There is nothing to install or configure.
Is the data real?
Yes. TestMax replays actual historical market data; bar resolution varies by instrument. Prices and volumes are what the market printed on the date you select, and orders fill against those bars.
Can I go back and replay the same session?
Absolutely. You can replay any date as many times as you want. This is one of the core advantages of TestMax — deliberate practice on the exact same market conditions.
What happens to my trades?
All trades are saved automatically. You can review them in the Analytics section at any time. Your session history persists across logins.