How we score your trades
The TradeReflect
Methodology
Every coaching score is based on real chart data, real price action, and a consistent set of criteria built around disciplined stock day trading. Here's exactly how it works.
The core philosophy
"We judge the decision, not the outcome."
A trade that made money on a bad setup is still a bad trade. A trade that lost money on a solid setup is still a good trade. P&L tells you what happened — TradeReflect tells you why, and whether you'd make the same decision again with a clear head.
Most traders never separate process from outcome. They feel good after green days and bad after red days regardless of whether they actually followed their rules. Over time this creates a distorted picture of their own abilities — good habits go unrewarded, bad habits go unpunished, and patterns never get fixed.
What the AI actually does
When you import a trade, TradeReflect doesn't just look at your entry and exit price. It fetches the real 1-minute chart data from Polygon.io for that exact stock on that exact day — the same institutional-grade data source used by professional trading platforms.
📡
Real chart data
Full day candles fetched from Polygon.io including pre-market from 4 AM through close.
🕯️
Heikin Ashi candles
Converted to Heikin Ashi to smooth noise and make trend direction clearer for analysis.
🎯
Entry window analysis
The AI analyzes what price action looked like specifically around your entry time — not in hindsight.
⚖️
Consistent criteria
Every trade is scored against the same checklist every time — no mood, no bias, no recency effect.
Coaching runs once per trade and is saved permanently. The AI never re-runs on an existing trade — this keeps costs predictable and ensures your historical record stays consistent.
ℹ️ A note on instruments
The entire methodology below — setup criteria, risk checks, scoring rubric — is built for stock day trading. Futures and options have different mechanics (theta decay, contract expiration, 23-hour sessions) that require a different rubric. Both are on the roadmap.
The scoring system
Every trade receives a score from 1 to 10 based on the quality of the setup and the discipline of the risk management. The score reflects process — not whether the trade was profitable.
8 — 10
Strong process
Setup had clear confirmation, risk was well defined, sizing was appropriate. This is what disciplined trading looks like.
6 — 7
Good process
Solid trade with minor gaps — maybe the entry was slightly early or the stop was a bit loose. Acceptable and improvable.
4 — 5
Needs improvement
The idea had some merit but execution had notable gaps — missing confirmation, unclear stop, or questionable sizing.
1 — 3
Poor process
No clear setup, no defined risk, or emotionally driven entry. Profitable or not, this is the kind of trade that creates bad habits.
Setup quality criteria
The AI evaluates five setup criteria. A strong trade doesn't need to check every box — but it should check a majority, and the ones it misses should have a good reason.
✓Trendline break or clean wedge
Price broke through a defined trendline or compressed into a wedge pattern and broke out cleanly. This provides a structural reason for directional movement.
✓Key level break and reclaim
A previous support or resistance level was broken and then reclaimed, confirming the level flip. This is one of the strongest entry signals in price action trading.
✓Demand zone or 5-minute tap
Price tapped into a known demand zone or tested a key level on the 5-minute chart and showed absorption. Buying demand zone taps gives you a natural stop reference.
✓Strong bottom wicks
Candles showing long lower wicks indicate buyers are absorbing sell pressure at a level. Multiple consecutive bottom wicks at the same level is a strong reversal signal.
✓Multi-timeframe alignment
The setup looks clean on more than one timeframe — the 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute charts are all pointing in the same direction. Alignment reduces false signals significantly.
Risk & sizing criteria
Unlike setup criteria, risk criteria are largely binary — either you had a plan or you didn't. These four checks are evaluated on every trade regardless of how good the setup was.
✓Strict stop loss defined
A clear, specific stop loss level was set before entry. Not 'I'll exit if it looks bad' — an actual price level below which the trade idea is invalidated.
✓At least 1:1 Risk/Reward
The potential reward on the trade was at least equal to the risk. Targeting less than 1:1 means you need to be right more than 50% of the time just to break even.
✓Appropriate target percentage
The target % move was realistic given the stock's typical volatility. Targeting a 50% move on a stock that moves 5% on big days is not a plan — it's a wish.
✓Sizing matches setup quality
Position size was proportional to how confident the setup warranted. Going max size on a marginal setup is a risk management failure even if the trade works.
The verdicts
Every trade receives one of six verdicts. Two of them — Got Lucky and Fortunate Exit — only appear when a trade was profitable despite poor execution. These are arguably the most important verdicts to pay attention to.
Strong ExecutionHigh score, clean setup, defined risk. This is the standard to hold yourself to on every trade.
Good ExecutionSolid process with minor gaps. You're trading well — identify the small things to tighten up.
Needs ImprovementThe trade had merit but execution was sloppy. If it was profitable, don't let the result mask the process gap.
Fortunate ExitProfitable trade, but the execution Needs Improvement. The market bailed you out. A Fortunate Exit repeated enough times becomes a blow-up.
Poor ExecutionGenuine process failure — no clear setup, no defined risk, or emotionally driven. Whether it made or lost money is irrelevant.
Got LuckyPoor execution but the trade was profitable. This is the most dangerous verdict — it reinforces bad habits. Traders who "Got Lucky" repeatedly are building a time bomb.
See it applied to your trades
Reading about the methodology is one thing. Seeing your own trades scored against it is another.
Start your free trial