Trading School

How the Trading School works

A structured path that takes complete beginners from how markets work to running a tested, risk-managed trading plan — one clear step at a time. Here’s everything you need to know before you start.

Start at Foundation Back to the Trading School

At a glance

The school in numbers

tiers, Foundation to Elite Cert

lessons

market tracks

knowledge checks

exams

332

quiz questions

About 8 hours of reading across the whole school · lessons take 4–8 minutes to read, plus practice · every lesson is currently free.

Who it's for

Built for beginners, deep enough for professionals

You don't need any trading experience to start. Foundation assumes no prior knowledge; each tier builds on the one before it. Experienced traders can move quickly through the early tiers and focus on the practical work in the later ones.

New to trading

Start at Foundation and follow the path in order. You'll learn the essentials before risking a single dollar.

Trading, but inconsistent

Foundation's risk lessons and Practitioner's strategy work usually make the biggest difference.

Experienced

Test yourself with each tier's exam, then focus on Strategist, Professional, and the Master capstone.

The path

Seven tiers, from Foundation to Elite Cert

Each tier has a clear purpose, a set of modules, and a badge you earn by passing its exam and completing its practical requirement.

1
Tier 1
Foundation
5 modules · 14 lessons · 1–2 weeks
Who it’s for
Complete beginners — and anyone who wants solid fundamentals before risking money.
You’ll be able to
Read a chart, place the right order, size every trade from a fixed risk, and follow a pre-trade checklist.
Badge requirement
Foundation quiz (80%+) and a demo account opened.
Modules: What Markets Are · Reading a Chart · Order Types & Execution · Risk Basics · Trading Psychology I
Explore Foundation →
2
Tier 2
Essentials
6 market tracks · 17 modules · 28 lessons · 2–4 weeks per track
Who it’s for
Traders ready to specialise in one market (you can add more later).
You’ll be able to
Understand what really drives your chosen market and trade its mechanics correctly — pip values, contract sizes, funding, gaps.
Badge requirement
Track exam plus 20 logged demo trades in chosen track(s).
Tracks: Forex · Crypto · Stocks · Commodities · Indices & Futures · Options
Explore Essentials →
3
Tier 3
Practitioner
4 modules · 12 lessons · 3–4 weeks
Who it’s for
Traders who want a written, tested strategy instead of trading by feel.
You’ll be able to
Write an unambiguous strategy, backtest 100+ trades honestly, and forward-test it on demo.
Badge requirement
Practitioner exam (80%+) plus a written strategy playbook and a backtest of 100+ trades.
Modules: Price Action · Indicators & Confirmation · Strategy Design · Backtesting & Forward Testing
Explore Practitioner →
4
Tier 4
Strategist
3 modules · 8 lessons · 4–6 weeks
Who it’s for
Traders running real or funded accounts who need professional risk control.
You’ll be able to
Manage correlated positions and drawdowns, pass prop-firm rules safely, and use automation responsibly.
Badge requirement
Strategist exam (80%+) plus a 4-week risk audit of your journaled demo, live, or funded trading.
Modules: Advanced Risk Management · Trading Psychology II · Intro to Automation
Explore Strategist →
5
Tier 5
Professional
3 modules · 6 lessons · 4–6 weeks
Who it’s for
Consistent traders treating trading as a business.
You’ll be able to
Keep business-grade records, set realistic income goals, and pass a self-run 30-day evaluation.
Badge requirement
Professional exam (80%+) plus a completed 30-day evaluation that met your profit target within its loss limits.
Modules: Trading as a Business · Live / Funded Evaluation · Multi-Asset Awareness
Explore Professional →
6
Tier 6
Master
3 modules · 9 lessons · 6–8 weeks
Who it’s for
Experienced traders ready to specialise and build their own system.
You’ll be able to
Choose a specialisation, design and document an original system, run an audited trial, and teach it back.
Badge requirement
Master exam (80%+) plus a documented capstone system, audited trial results, and a teach-back presentation.
Modules: Choose a Specialization · Capstone Project · Teaching-Back
Explore Master →
Tier 7
Elite Cert
3 modules · 6 lessons · Ongoing
Who it’s for
Traders who have completed the path and want to prove it end to end.
You’ll be able to
Pass the cumulative exam, audit your own live record, and build a track record others can verify.
Badge requirement
Elite Cert exam (80%+) plus a completed practical self-audit of your live trade log.
Modules: Certification Exam · Credentialing · Alumni Path
Explore Elite Cert →

How beginners progress

Your journey, step by step

Following one market track, the full path is 58–62 lessons depending on the market you choose. Here's how it unfolds.

1
Start with Foundation
14 lessons covering markets, charts, orders, risk, and psychology. No experience needed.
2
Check your understanding
Each module ends with a short knowledge check. Pass mark 80% — retake as often as you like.
3
Earn your Foundation badge
Pass the Foundation exam and confirm you've opened a demo account and placed a practice trade.
4
Choose your market
In Essentials, pick the market you'll trade — Forex, Commodities, Stocks, Indices & Futures, Crypto, or Options — and learn what drives it.
5
Build and test a strategy
In Practitioner, write your strategy, backtest it on 100+ trades, and forward-test it on demo.
6
Trade it under real rules
Strategist and Professional add professional risk control and a self-run 30-day evaluation.
7
Specialise and prove it
In Master, choose a specialisation, run a documented capstone system, and teach it back to peers.
8
Earn the Elite Cert
Pass the cumulative exam and audit your own live trade log against a strict rubric.
9
Keep learning
Revisit lessons, re-test your systems every year, and help newer traders — responsibly.

Why this order? Most beginners lose money because they skip risk management and trade strategies they’ve never tested. The path is designed so you learn to protect your account first, then prove a strategy works on paper and on demo, and only then trade it with real money — at small size, scaling up only on evidence.

Inside every lesson

The same clear structure, every time

Every lesson follows one standard, so you always know what to expect and where to find it when you come back.

What you'll learn

The four to six outcomes of the lesson, up front.

Core concepts

Plain language first, then precision — with tables and diagrams.

Worked examples

Real arithmetic with illustrative prices, so you can repeat it yourself.

Pro tips & warnings

Highlighted callouts with the habits professionals use and the traps to avoid.

Common mistakes

The errors beginners make most often — so you don't have to.

Key terms

A glossary table for quick reference and revision.

Practice

Hands-on tasks on a demo account or chart, to turn reading into skill.

Quick recap

The lesson in five bullet points, for review before quizzes.

Assessment

Knowledge checks, exams, and badges

Knowledge checks

One at the end of every module — usually five questions.
Scenario-based: calculations and decisions, not memorising wording.
Every answer comes with an explanation.
Retake as often as you like; your best score is kept.

Exams

One per tier — and one per market track in Essentials.
Unlock once you’ve completed every lesson they cover.
Pass mark 80%, graded on our servers so results can be trusted.
Most tiers also ask you to confirm a practical requirement.

Badges

Earned by passing an exam and confirming its practical requirement.
Shown on your progress path in the Trading School.
Saved to your account — sign in to earn them.
Educational milestones, not accredited qualifications.

Trader levels

Two ladders: what you know, and how you trade

TradingProgress tracks two separate ratings. They answer different questions, and both matter.

Education level

Follows the Trading School tiers. Your level is the tier you’re working through, and it moves up when you complete every lesson on your path in that tier.

1Foundation— Beginner modules
2Essentials— Core skills
3Practitioner— Applied trading
4Strategist— Playbook & setups
5Professional— Risk mastery
6Master— Advanced path
7Elite Cert— Certificate track

Performance level

Based on your actual trading. Upload an MT5 report to My Progress and we calculate a Progress Score (0–100) from your profit factor (35%), win rate (35%), and average win-to-loss ratio (30%). The score maps onto seven levels:

1Beginner— score 0–14 · Getting started
2Novice— score 15–29 · Building consistency
3Intermediate— score 30–44 · Solid edge forming
4Advanced— score 45–59 · Process-driven
5Pro— score 60–74 · Strong risk control
6Expert— score 75–89 · High-level execution
7Elite— score 90–100 · Top-tier performance

Both ratings are educational indicators calculated automatically — not assessments of your suitability to trade, and not financial advice.

Choosing your market

Six market tracks in Essentials

In Tier 2 you add one or more market tracks to your path. Only markets on your path count towards your progress, and each track has its own exam.

Forex

6 lessons

Currency pairs and pip maths, the macro forces that move currencies, and trading around the economic calendar.

Crypto

7 lessons

How blockchains and crypto assets work, custody and security, crypto-specific drivers, and perpetual futures.

Stocks

5 lessons

How equity markets are organised, the fundamentals that move share prices, and corporate events.

Commodities

4 lessons

Metals, energy, and agriculture — with a focus on gold (XAU/USD) as a macro asset and how supply shocks move prices.

Indices & Futures

3 lessons

How stock indices are built and how futures contracts, rollover, and index CFDs work.

Options

3 lessons

Optional add-on: calls, puts, the Greeks, and basic defined-risk strategies.

Study plans

How long will it take?

Reading is only part of it. Here's how long the 58–62 lessons on a single-track path take at three paces — plus the practical work, which takes longer on purpose.

Pace	Lessons per week	Foundation	All lessons (one track)	Suits
Relaxed	2	≈ 7 weeks	≈ 29–31 weeks	A busy schedule — about 20 minutes, twice a week
Steady	4	≈ 4 weeks	≈ 15–16 weeks	Most part-time learners — one lesson every other day
Focused	7	≈ 2 weeks	≈ 9 weeks	A lesson a day, with practice on weekends

Testing a strategy

Backtesting 100+ trades and forward-testing on demo typically takes several weeks to a few months (Practitioner).

30-day evaluation

Professional requires a full 30-day evaluation under written rules — plus preparation.

Live track record

The Master capstone and Elite Cert audit need a meaningful live record — usually months of trading.

Realistically, most learners take a year or more to complete the full path including the practical work. That’s by design — skills built slowly, and tested honestly, last.

Honest expectations

What the school is — and isn't

It is

A structured, practical curriculum from first principles to professional process
Focused on risk management, testing, and discipline
Self-paced, free to start, and usable without an account
Honest about uncertainty — worked examples are illustrative, and edges must be tested

It isn’t

Financial advice, trade signals, or a promise of profits
An accredited qualification or a licence to advise or manage money
A shortcut — the practical work takes real time and real discipline
A substitute for your own judgement: trading carries a high risk of loss (see our Terms)

FAQ

Common questions

I've never traded. Where do I start?

Start at Foundation, lesson one. Foundation assumes no prior knowledge and gives you everything you need before choosing a market.

Is the Trading School free?

Yes — every lesson is currently free. We plan to keep beginner learning free. See Fees and future pricing for details.

Do I need an account?

No. You can read every lesson and take every quiz without one; progress is saved in your browser. Create a free account to save progress across devices and earn badges.

Can I skip tiers?

Every lesson is open, so you can read anything. But badges and your education level follow the path in order, and later tiers assume the earlier ones — we strongly recommend following the sequence.

Which market track should I choose?

Choose the market you're most likely to trade, in the hours you're actually available. Forex and gold are popular starting points because of their liquidity and long trading hours. You can add more tracks at any time.

What happens if I fail a quiz or exam?

Nothing bad — every question has an explanation, and you can retake as often as you like. The pass mark is 80%.

Is the Elite Cert an official qualification?

No. It’s an educational milestone showing you completed the curriculum, exams, and practical work. It isn’t an accredited qualification or a licence. Read what the Elite Cert means.

Will this make me a profitable trader?

No course can promise that. The school teaches the skills, risk management, and testing discipline that give you the best chance — and helps you find out honestly whether a strategy works before you risk money on it. Trading involves substantial risk of loss.

Ready to start?

Lesson one takes about eight minutes. No account needed — your progress saves in your browser.

Start at Foundation Open the learner