# Trading Journal for Beginners with an AI Coach · DT Terminal > New to trading? Learn the basics in DT Academy, practice in the backtester, log every trade free, and let Edge explain your own numbers. No card. For new traders AI trading improvement · Beginners # Start the journal before the first real trade. Learn the basics in DT Academy, practice in the backtester, and log every trade from the first one. Edge, the AI coach, reads your trades and explains what your numbers mean and what to fix next. A free account, calculators for sizing the trade, and no card. [Start free](https://www.thedtterminal.com/login?signup=true&from=product_journal) [Learn the basics in DT Academy](https://www.thedtterminal.com/academy) Free plan, no card $0 Free calculators 6 Backtest sessions at a time to practice 2 Edge questions with the coach 20 / month Where the first trade goes. You end up with a record that started before your first real trade. ## Your week on DT Terminal One way a week runs, using the tools on this page. 1. Monday **Size the trade** Position size, pip value and risk to reward calculators, free 2. Tuesday **Log it with the reason** One sentence on why, written before the entry 3. Wednesday **Practice on history** Practice trades on real historical candles, bar by bar 4. Thursday **Read your numbers** Ask Edge what win rate and expectancy mean for you 5. Friday **Connect when you go live** Every trade from then on arrives verified How it works 1. **Size the trade** Position size, pip value and risk-to-reward calculators are free on the site. Use them before the entry. 2. **Log it, with the reason** Instrument, entry, stop, target and one sentence on why. That sentence is the journal. 3. **Read the numbers** After ten trades the dashboard shows win rate and expectancy. Ask Edge what they mean for you. One trade ## Everything about one trade, in one place. The entry, the stop, the reason, the screenshot and how it ended. A beginner who keeps this for a month knows more than most people trading for a year. - 3 tags per trade free - Screenshots and notes - A review prompt after the close The numbers ## Win rate and expectancy, from your trades. The dashboard shows the two numbers that matter and how they move as you add trades. Nothing invented, nothing hidden. - Win rate and expectancy - Equity curve and drawdown - Basic insights free Practice ## Practice in the backtester before real money. Pick a market, step the chart forward bar by bar and place practice trades. The stats at the end tell you whether the idea works before it costs anything. - Real historical candles - 50 practice trades a session - Results explained by Edge Later ## The record you start today can pay for an evaluation. Ten logged trades, one backtest and a 14-day streak is the DT Scholarships application. It is open to free members. - Open to every plan - Evaluation fee paid in full - Keep 100% of payouts What is free ## Everything a beginner needs is on the free plan. | Feature | Free | Plus | Pro | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Manual and CSV logging | Included | Included | Included | | Basic performance insights Net P/L, win rate, expectancy, profit factor, the equity curve and trading days | Included | Included | Included | | Journal entries, structure included | Included | Included | Included | | Backtest sessions Held at a time. Delete one to start another | 2 at a time | 3 at a time | Unlimited | | Edge questions a month Ask Edge about your own trades. Short questions about the app and about plans are free, up to 30 a day. Resets every month. Unlimited plans are subject to fair use | 20 / month | 50 / month | Unlimited | | Pulse check-ins | 3 per day | 3 per day | Unlimited | Full comparison on the [pricing page](https://www.thedtterminal.com/pricing). FAQ ### Do I need to pay anything to start? No. The free plan has no trial clock and asks for no card. Plus adds MT4 and MT5 sync and more accounts, and Pro adds unlimited backtesting and more of the coach every month, when you want them. ### I have never journaled. What do I write? One sentence on why you took the trade, before you take it. Everything else, the numbers, the chart, the outcome, the journal records for you. ### What are win rate and expectancy? Win rate is how often you win. Expectancy is how much you make per trade on average, wins and losses together. A low win rate with high expectancy is a good system; the journal shows you which you have. ### Can I practice without risking money? Yes. The backtester replays real history bar by bar and lets you place practice trades. 2 full sessions at a time are free. ### Is there somewhere to ask questions? The community is free to read and post in, and Edge, the coach inside the app, answers questions about your own trades. ## Log the first trade with a reason attached. Free, no card, and the record is yours. [Start free](https://www.thedtterminal.com/login?signup=true&from=product_journal) [Learn the basics in DT Academy](https://www.thedtterminal.com/academy) --- Risk disclosure: Futures, forex and options trading contains substantial risk and is not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing one's financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. [Read the full risk disclosure](https://www.thedtterminal.com/legal/risk-disclosure). 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