Template
Trade scorecard template
A scorecard grades the parts of a trade you control — the process — so a clean trade that lost still scores well and a sloppy trade that won still scores poorly. Over time the score, not the P&L, tells you whether you are improving.
When to use it
When to use a trade scorecard template
P&L is a noisy signal in the short run: good process loses sometimes and bad process wins sometimes. A scorecard gives you a process signal that is far less noisy, because it grades what you did rather than what the market did back.
Score each trade right after you review it, using the same criteria every time. The number is only meaningful because the criteria are fixed — a scorecard that changes shape every session measures nothing.
- Scoring each trade immediately after its review
- Tracking process quality on days the P&L is misleading
- Comparing this week to last on something other than money
- Catching a slow drift in discipline before it shows up in the account
Template preview
Each trade gets the same criteria, each scored 0–2, and the points sum to a single number. Here is the blank card.
- In-plan setup
- Valid entry
- Correct size
- Stop placed & held
- Managed to plan
- Emotional control
- Logged & reviewed
What each field means
Each criterion scores 0 (no), 1 (partly), or 2 (yes). Seven criteria give a 0–14 scale. Keep the criteria fixed so the scores compare across weeks.
In-plan setup
Was this one of your named setups, in your defined market and hours? 2 if yes, 0 if it was an off-plan impulse.
Valid entry
Did the entry meet your written trigger and confirmation, at a price you planned — not a chase?
Correct size
Did you size to your fixed risk per trade, with no sizing up after a loss or out of conviction?
Stop placed & held
Was the stop set in advance and left where it belonged — not moved to avoid being wrong?
Managed to plan
Did you manage the trade the way the plan said, rather than renegotiating it while it was live?
Emotional control
Were you calm and deliberate? Self-reported — only you know — but honesty here is the whole value.
Logged & reviewed
Did you journal the trade and review it? The trade is not finished until it has taught you something.
Worked example
A filled-in scorecard
A trade that won money but scored poorly — the case a scorecard exists to catch.
- In-plan setup
- 0 — not one of my setups, took it on a hunch
- Valid entry
- 1 — decent price but no real trigger
- Correct size
- 0 — doubled my usual size
- Stop placed & held
- 1 — placed it, then widened it once
- Managed to plan
- 1 — improvised the exit
- Emotional control
- 0 — excited, fear of missing out
- Logged & reviewed
- 2 — journaled and reviewed it
Score: 5/14, and it was a winner. Without a scorecard, the green P&L would have quietly reinforced an off-plan, oversized, emotional trade. The number tells the truth the result hides.
Use this template
Copy the structure below into a notebook, spreadsheet, or notes app — it works anywhere. Or skip the setup and use it live in Mettle.
TRADE SCORECARD (0 = no, 1 = partly, 2 = yes) In-plan setup: [ ] Valid entry: [ ] Correct size: [ ] Stop placed & held: [ ] Managed to plan: [ ] Emotional control: [ ] Logged & reviewed: [ ] TOTAL: ___ / 14
Mettle scores each trade on process as part of its review step and tracks the score over time, so you can watch process quality trend independently of P&L and catch a discipline slide before the account does.
See how it works in MettleFAQ
Do I need software to use this template?
No. Every field here works in a paper notebook, a spreadsheet, or a notes app. The structure is the point. Software helps once you want the mechanical facts imported and the entries read back to you automatically.
Why score process instead of profit?
Because profit is noisy in the short run — good process loses sometimes and bad process wins sometimes. Process is the part you control, so scoring it gives you a cleaner signal that you are actually improving.
How do I score a winning trade that broke my rules?
Score it on the rules, not the result. A rule-breaking winner should score low — that is the entire point. A low score on a green trade is the warning a P&L-only view never gives you.
Is Mettle free to start?
Yes. You get full access free for 14 days with no card. We only ask for a card once you have reviewed three sessions — after the product has proven it earns a place in your routine.
Score the process, not just the P&L
Mettle grades each trade on process and tracks the trend, so a lucky win never masquerades as a good habit. Free to start, no card.
Start free — no cardMore templates
Want the workflow, not just the template? Read the matching step-by-step guide.