Most traders have no objective way to measure setup quality. They take trades based on gut feeling and wonder why results are inconsistent. A trade grading system changes that by scoring every setup before you risk capital.
See How It WorksTrade grading is the practice of assigning a quality score to every potential trade setup before you enter. Instead of asking "does this look good?" you ask "does this meet my criteria?" and let the score answer for you.
The idea is simple: define the confluence factors that make up a high-quality setup in your strategy, then check off which ones are present on the chart. The more criteria a setup meets, the higher the grade. The higher the grade, the better the trade.
TCT automates this process inside TradingView. You build a custom confluence checklist, grade each symbol in seconds, and get an A+ to F score. Over time, you build a journal of graded trades and can see exactly which setup grades lead to consistent profits.
Four steps from chart analysis to actionable grade. The entire process takes seconds.
Define the exact criteria that make up your ideal trade setup. Market structure, EMA alignment, key levels, session timing, risk-to-reward, whatever matters to your strategy. You choose the factors and their weights.
When you spot a potential setup on TradingView, open your checklist and check off every confluence that is present on the chart. TCT runs directly inside TradingView so the process takes seconds.
Based on how many confluences are checked and how they are weighted, TCT calculates a grade instantly. An A+ means the setup meets nearly all your criteria. A D or F means you are forcing a trade that does not have an edge.
After you journal your trades, review which grades actually led to wins. Most traders discover that their A and A+ setups have a significantly higher win rate, giving them objective proof of what to look for.
Every trade setup gets a letter grade based on how many of your confluence criteria are met. Here is what each grade means for your trading decisions.
High-conviction setup. All your key confluences line up. Take the trade with full size.
Strong setup with most confluences present. Green light to enter with standard size.
Decent setup but missing a few factors. Be selective or reduce position size.
Marginal setup. More confluences are absent than present. Skip or size down significantly.
Weak setup. The chart is not giving you enough reasons to enter. Walk away.
No real edge. Taking this trade is gambling, not trading. Protect your capital.
Grade thresholds are based on the percentage of your weighted checklist that is satisfied. You control the confluences and their importance.
The traders who grade their setups outperform the ones who wing it. Here is why.
When you have a checklist and a grade staring at you, it becomes much harder to force a trade that does not meet your criteria. The grade replaces gut feeling with objectivity.
Grading every setup creates a repeatable process. You stop improvising and start following a system. Over time, the grading habit alone makes you more selective and more consistent.
When every trade has a grade, you can review your journal and see exactly which grades lead to wins. You get data, not opinions, about what works in your strategy.
The specific confluences depend on your strategy, but here are the factors that experienced traders commonly include in their grading checklists.
With TCT, you define your own confluence factors and can create multiple checklist sets for different strategies, timeframes, or market conditions. Everything is fully customizable.
TCT is free to install and works directly inside TradingView. Set up your first confluence checklist in minutes and grade your next trade before you enter.