WickCheck / Trading school / Out-of-sample data
Out-of-sample dataIntermediate
Data your strategy was not built or tuned on, kept aside for an honest check.
What it means
Build and tweak on, say, 2015–2021, then run once on 2022–2025. If the results collapse, the edge was probably fitted to the past.
How to spot it
- A date range you did not look at while designing the rules.
Common mistakes
- Peeking at it, then changing the rules.
Related terms
OverfittingTuning a strategy so closely to past data that it captures noise instead of a re…Walk-forward testOptimising on one period, then testing the result on the next unseen period, rep…Sample sizeHow many trades a result is based on. Small samples can look great or terrible b…
Why most strategies need a human behind the screen
Read the lessonWhat a mechanical test can and cannot tell you about smart money concepts.
Education only, not financial advice. Definitions vary between teachers; these are ours, written for clarity.