Level 7 · Lesson 10
The Trade
Autopsy
Not “I lost.” But WHERE in the 7-step process the failure occurred — and exactly how to fix it.
First — Why This Matters
🔍 The Coroner’s Report
A coroner doesn’t write “patient died” on the report. They document the exact cause: which organ, which failure, which chain of events. A trade autopsy works the same way. “I lost” is useless. “I lost because I entered before the 15M trigger closed, which placed my stop 4 pips too high, which meant the Asian sweep caught me before the real move” — that is information you can act on.
🔎 REAL SCENARIO
500 losing trades autopsied using this 7-step framework. Only 18% were wrong bias. Only 12% were bad setups. The #1 failure: emotional state (35%), followed by management (25%) and stop placement (22%). Most traders blame strategy. The data says blame psychology.
01 — The Diagnostic Pipeline
7 Steps, One Diagnosis
Each step isolates one dimension. The failure point is where the chain breaks.
02 — Where Trades Actually Fail
500 Losing Trades Analysed
Emotion leads. Not strategy, not analysis.
03 — The 7 Steps Explained
Each Step in Detail
04 — The Grading System
A to F — What Each Grade Means
A (19-21/21) = Elite. Every step 2+. These trades compound over time.
B (16-18/21) = Strong process, 1-2 minor gaps. B-grade traders are consistently profitable.
C (12-15/21) = Mixed. Some strong, some weak. Focus on the lowest-scoring step.
D (8-11/21) = Major issues. This trade probably shouldn't have been taken.
F (0-7 or auto-fail) = Process failure. Auto-F: no stop loss OR trading tilted.
05 — Interactive Challenge
7-Step Trade Autopsy Tool
Diagnose any trade — winning or losing. The tool produces your Trade Grade.
Step 1 of 7
HTF Bias
Was your higher-timeframe bias correct?
What was the HTF showing?
06 — Winners Need Autopsies Too
Why a Winning Trade Can Get an F
A winning trade with process errors is more dangerous than a losing trade with perfect process. The profit reinforces the bad behaviour.
A-Grade Loss
Perfect process, stop hit. Bad luck. Keep trading like this.
F-Grade Win
No stop, revenge entry, doubled size. Won anyway. Ticking time bomb.
07 — Lesson Quality Hierarchy
How to Write Lessons That Change Your Trading
08 — Common Autopsy Mistakes
4 Ways Traders Sabotage Reviews
09 — Cheat Sheet
Autopsy Quick Reference
7 STEPS = Bias → Setup → Trigger → Stop → Management → Emotion → Lesson. Every trade.
AUTO-FAIL = No stop = F. Tilted = F. These override all other scores.
#1 KILLER = Emotion (35%) beats strategy (18%) as the top failure point. Fix psychology first.
A-TIER LESSON = Specific action + sample size + measurement. “Be disciplined” is F-tier.
CADENCE = Every trade for first 100. Then weekly: best win, worst loss, any rule break.
10 — Test Your Understanding
Trade Autopsy Game
5 autopsy cases. Diagnose where each trade failed.
Autopsy Case 1: Long XAUUSD. Daily bullish ✓. 15M BOS + OB pullback ✓. Bullish engulfing trigger ✓. Stop 2 pips below OB ✓. Price moved to +0.8R, pulled back to −0.2R. You panicked and closed at −0.2R. Price then ran to +2.3R. Where did this trade fail?
11 — Knowledge Check
Final Quiz — 8 Questions
Question 1 of 8
The primary purpose of a trade autopsy is:
Question 2 of 8
A trade had correct bias, perfect setup, clean trigger, but was closed early due to fear. The failure is at:
Question 3 of 8
Your autopsy reveals: correct bias, partial setup, decent trigger, structural stop, perfect management, calm. The grade is likely:
Question 4 of 8
"I need to be more patient" as a trade autopsy lesson is:
Question 5 of 8
A winning trade should be autopsied because:
Question 6 of 8
The failure heatmap shows the #1 failure point across 500 losing trades is:
Question 7 of 8
If Step 4 (Stop Placement) scores 0/3 ("no stop placed"), the overall grade should be:
Question 8 of 8
The correct cadence for trade autopsies is: