The Last Filter Before You Even Consider an Entry
Skip one item on this list and you're not trading a plan — you're gambling with extra steps.
Before you start: Most useful once you already have a specific model or setup ready to check against this list.
Part of the My Edge Official framework — refined through thousands of hours of chart study.
This is the final filter before you even think about an entry — nine sections you work through in order, from weekly context to the final "trade / no trade" decision. It isn't there to slow you down; it's there to catch that one missing step that causes a losing trade.
- Checklist
- Validation
- Failure Conditions
This is the last filter before you even think about entering — nine sections you go through in order, from weekly context to the final "trade / don't trade" decision. It's not there to slow you down — it's there to catch that one missing step that turns into a losing trade.
You build three scenarios (A, B, C), each with its own conditions and invalidation — not just the one that seems "obvious." If in step five you can't reliably choose between trend and consolidation, that's not a reason to force a choice — it's a sign to default to consolidation and tighten your confirmation requirements.
The last question, if there's no high-quality setup: are you willing to wait? Yes or no.
Advanced explanation⌄
Checklist
1. Weekly Context
The previous weekly high/low, Monday's high/low, Monday's first 09:30 FVG, whether higher-timeframe delivery has already occurred, and today's day-of-week profile (see Weekly Day Profiles) as the expected narrative — actual price behavior takes precedence when the two conflict.
2. NDOG Analysis
Plot today's NDOG, review the previous five, check whether an NDOG cluster exists, and whether another NDOG is roughly 150 handles away.
3. Asian Range
Measure the Asian range and check whether it's normal. Mark the projections: 0.27, 0.62, 1.00, 1.27, 2.27, 2.62. Write down the expected target.
4. Liquidity
External (buy-side, sell-side), internal (equal highs/lows), session-based (Asia, London, New York).
5. Market Environment
Choose one: trend, retracement, consolidation — and write down the reason for your choice.
6. Scenario Building
Build scenarios A, B, and C — each with its conditions, expected delivery, and invalidation.
7. Confirmation
Wait for a liquidity sweep, MSS, displacement, and PD Array interaction. You earn your bias only after confirmation.
8. Trade Plan
Entry, stop loss, target 1, target 2, risk.
9. Post-Trade
Did price follow the expected scenario? What did I miss? What needs to improve?
Validation
Final Question — if no quality setup exists: am I willing to wait? Yes / No.
You reach section 5 (market environment) and can't confidently choose between trend and consolidation — the signals are mixed. That's not a reason to force a choice and move on; it's a signal that you should default to consolidation (see Market Environment) and tighten section 7 (confirmation) accordingly. If later, in section 6, you can't build at least two meaningful scenarios (A and B) with clear invalidation, that's another signal that today may not be a day to trade — which the checklist explicitly allows as a valid outcome ("Final Question").
Failure Conditions
⚠️ Filling out the checklist after the entry decision has already been made. The checklist must come before the decision, not as after-the-fact rationalization.
- Skipping section 9 ("Post-Trade"). Without this section, the checklist prepares an individual trade but doesn't improve your long-term process — see Decision Engine Stage 9.
- A single scenario instead of three. Section 6 requires A, B, and C precisely to force you to consider alternatives before you become emotionally attached to one direction.
How to Use It
In practice:
- Use this as a physical form (printed or digital) that you fill out before every trade — not as a mental checklist. Blank fields mean you're not ready.
- Always build all three scenarios (A, B, C), even if one is obviously more likely — this forces you to explicitly consider invalidation before it becomes a surprise.
- Section 9 ("Post-Trade") isn't an optional add-on — it's the input for Decision Engine Stage 9 (Review). Without it, the checklist only prepares the trade but doesn't improve your process.
Don't stop here — see how this fits with the rest of the framework.
Continue to Weekly Day Profiles →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Trade Preparation Checklist?⌄
It's a nine-section final filter — weekly context, NDOG analysis, Asian range, liquidity, market environment, scenario building, confirmation, trade plan, and post-trade review — worked through in order before ever considering an entry.
How do I use the Trade Preparation Checklist before a trade?⌄
Fill it out as a physical form before the entry decision is made, not as after-the-fact rationalization, and always build all three scenarios (A, B, C) with clear invalidation, even when one looks obviously more likely.
What if I can't build at least two solid scenarios in section 6?⌄
That's a signal, not a problem to force through — the checklist explicitly allows "no quality setup today, willing to wait" as a valid outcome rather than pushing into a trade anyway.
How is this different from the Daily Trading SOP?⌄
The Daily Trading SOP is the broader hour-by-hour daily routine; the Trade Preparation Checklist is the specific nine-section filter run immediately before considering any individual entry within that routine.