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The 20-Setup Review + Live Gate

4 h difficulty 5/5 after M15 5 concept checks

20 unseen setups: bias, arrays, phase, session, entry/stop/target, R and size, take or skip. Then the gated demo→live progression.

The aha this module is for

“Skipping a setup that fails the 3:1 filter is a correct answer.”

This is a gate, not a module

Every module before this one taught you a concept. This one teaches you nothing. It exists for a single purpose: to find out whether the fifteen modules compose into one repeatable decision, under time pressure, on setups you have not seen before.

Nothing in the capstone is scored on what you know. It is scored on what you would do. And crucially, for the swing model that is your default, the decision is usually not to trade — the review has as many deliberate skips as takes, some of them dressed in otherwise-perfect setups.

The whole gate, start to finish, before the detail:

▶ Explainer The capstone and the live gate: twenty decisions, then one rung at a time
Scene 1: the twenty-setup review and its three-number pass bar (the scores shown are an example run, not a prediction). Scene 2: the demo → small live → normal-size ladder.
Transcript
  1. This is a gate, not a module. Twenty unseen setups; then demo, then small live — each rung with its own pass condition.
  2. Twenty setups you have not seen. Same loop each time — then take or skip.
  3. A skip with a defensible reason is scored as a correct answer.
  4. The pass bar: ≥16/20 correct, zero sizing errors, zero sub-3:1 takes — all three at once. (Example run: 17/20, 0, 0 — pass.)
  5. They fail separately: 19/20 with one sizing slip is a fail.
  6. Passing is not permission to trade with money. It is the first rung — and the honesty page is read in full before going further.
  7. Four weeks demo: ≥20 setups logged, zero violations in the final ten days.
  8. Then live at 0.25%, one pair, for three months minimum.
  9. Review: compliance ≥95% and positive expectancy over ≥40 trades. Not yet? Back to demo — a normal outcome, not a failure.
  10. Only then 0.5%, two pairs. The ceiling, ever: 1.0%.
  11. The gate: competence first, then money — one rung at a time. This course cannot make you profitable; it can make you competent and consistent.

The 20-setup review

Twenty setups, all drawn from the swing framework you built in M9–M15. For each one you do the same short loop:

  1. State the bias — three timeframes, and the verdict including NEUTRAL.
  2. Mark the arrays and the half you are shopping from.
  3. Name the phase and the session — and check the day of the week.
  4. Place entry, stop and targets from the structure, not from comfort.
  5. Compute R and the position size — fixed-fractional, never estimated.
  6. Decide: take or skip.

The pass bar is three numbers, and all three must clear together:

The pass bar
Correct decisions≥ 16 / 20
Position-sizing errors0
Sub-3:1 takes0

They are measured separately because they fail separately. You can get nineteen right decisions and fail on a single sizing slip, and a sub-3:1 take is a violation of the written plan no matter what price did after — the same rule that governs the live journal. A skip with a defensible reason is scored as a correct answer; learning to pass is the graded skill.

The review

Work through all twenty. Enter your decision and, where you take the setup, your size in lots; then reveal the answer key. It shows the correct decision, the true R, the correct fixed-fractional size, and the reasoning — so even a right guess becomes an exact one, and a wrong one becomes a lesson rather than a score.

The pass bar
Correct decisions
0 / 20 (need 16)
Sizing errors
0 / must be 0
Sub-3:1 takes
0 / must be 0
  1. Setup c01EURUSD · a discount array on Tuesday
    • Monthly, weekly and daily order flow: all bullish. Down-close candles are supporting price and expansion is happening on up closes.
    • Daily range defined from the swing low at 1.0620 to the swing high at 1.1020. Equilibrium 1.0820.
    • Price has retraced on the 4H to 1.0850 — wait, check that against equilibrium before answering.
    • A validated bullish order block sits at 1.0850, whose high was traded through on the way up.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10 per standard lot, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0850, stop 1.0825, target the old high at 1.1020 — but you will take the first partial at the 4H bearish order block at 1.0940.
    Your decision
  2. Setup c02GBPUSD · premium array, bearish cascade
    • Monthly bearish, weekly bearish, daily bearish. Up-close candles are capping price; expansion happens on down closes.
    • Daily range 1.2400 to 1.2900. Equilibrium 1.2650. Price has retraced to 1.2700 — premium.
    • A validated bearish order block sits at 1.2700; the old low at 1.2400 is the external liquidity below.
    • It is Wednesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.2700, stop 1.2740 above the array, first objective 1.2560 at the daily fair value gap.
    Your decision
  3. Setup c03EURUSD · deep discount, small risk
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish.
    • Daily range 1.0600 to 1.1000, equilibrium 1.0800. Price is at 1.0700 — discount.
    • Validated bullish order block at 1.0700. Target: the old high at 1.1000, first partial at the 4H bearish OB at 1.0800.
    • It is Monday. Account $5,000, risk 0.25%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0700, stop 1.0675.
    Your decision
  4. Setup c04USDJPY · a premium array, different pip size
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bearish.
    • Daily range 148.00 to 152.00, equilibrium 150.00. Price is at 151.20 — premium.
    • Validated bearish order block at 151.20. First objective the daily discount array at 150.10.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $3,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10 per standard lot, pip size 0.01.
    • Planned entry 151.20, stop 151.50.
    Your decision
  5. Setup c05GBPUSD · the reward filter fails
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price is in discount at 1.2560.
    • Validated bullish order block at 1.2560, stop would go at 1.2520.
    • The nearest premium array — the only one on the daily — sits at 1.2660.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    Your decision
  6. Setup c06EURUSD · the daily is neutral
    • Monthly bullish. Weekly bullish. Daily: the range is unclear, no down-close candles are holding price, and there has been no reaction on a discount array.
    • On the 4H there is a textbook validated bullish order block at 1.0820 with a clean structure break above it.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%.
    • Entry would be 1.0820, stop 1.0790, and the old high at 1.0980 is 160 pips away.
    Your decision
  7. Setup c07GBPUSD · price at equilibrium
    • Monthly, weekly and daily all bullish.
    • Daily range 1.2400 to 1.2800. Equilibrium 1.2600. Price is at 1.2602.
    • There is a validated bullish order block right there at 1.2600.
    • It is Monday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%.
    Your decision
  8. Setup c08EURUSD · Thursday, and the window has passed
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Your weekend note said: long, from the discount array at 1.0740.
    • Monday to Wednesday came and went; price never traded below 1.0810.
    • It is Thursday morning and price is now at 1.0745, right on your level.
    • No high-impact events are scheduled. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%. Entry 1.0745, stop 1.0715, target 1.0900.
    Your decision
  9. Setup c09GBPUSD · valid array, wrong half
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bearish. You are shopping from the premium half.
    • Daily range 1.2500 to 1.3000, equilibrium 1.2750. Price is at 1.2560 — discount.
    • On the 1H there is a beautifully validated bullish order block at 1.2560 with a structure break above it.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%. A long from here to 1.2750 would be 190 pips on a 35-pip stop.
    Your decision
  10. Setup c10EURUSD · the order block that never validated
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price is in discount.
    • You have marked a down-close candle at 1.0700 with a large open-to-close range near support.
    • Price fell away from it and has now returned. At no point since it formed has a later candle traded through its high.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%. Entry 1.0700, stop 1.0670, target 1.0850.
    Your decision
  11. Setup c11EURUSD · a wider stop, same risk
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price in discount at 1.0900 on a validated 4H bullish order block.
    • The structural low of the array is at 1.0862; with spread, the stop belongs at 1.0860.
    • First objective: the daily bearish order block at 1.1050.
    • It is Wednesday. Account $4,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0900, stop 1.0860.
    Your decision
  12. Setup c12GBPUSD · already at the weekly limit
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bearish. Price is in premium at 1.2900 on a validated bearish order block.
    • It is Wednesday and the setup is the cleanest one you have seen this month. 90 pips to the objective on a 25-pip stop.
    • You are down 3.2% on the week after three losses.
    • Account $2,500, risk 0.5%.
    Your decision
  13. Setup c13USDJPY · discount array, bullish cascade
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish.
    • Daily range 146.00 to 150.00, equilibrium 148.00. Price at 148.00 — and then it trades down to 147.60 into a validated bullish order block.
    • Objective: the daily premium array at 148.70.
    • It is Monday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.01.
    • Planned entry 148.00 — no: the array is at 148.00 and the fill you want is at the array. Entry 148.00, stop 147.80.
    Your decision
  14. Setup c14EURUSD · the larger account, same rules
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bearish. Price in premium at 1.1000 on a validated bearish order block.
    • Objective: the daily discount array at 1.0840.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $10,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.1000, stop 1.1050 — the structural high of the array plus spread.
    Your decision
  15. Setup c15GBPUSD · the Asian range, intraday track
    • You are running the intraday model today. HTF bias: bullish.
    • It is 02:40 GMT. Price has traded down into a 1H bullish order block at 1.2610 that lines up with the 79% retracement.
    • The objective — yesterday's high — is 95 pips away. Stop would be 25 pips.
    • Account $2,000, risk 0.5%.
    Your decision
  16. Setup c16EURUSD · tight stop, small account
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price in discount at 1.0750 on a validated 4H bullish order block.
    • The array's structural low plus spread puts the stop at 1.0710.
    • First objective: the daily bearish order block at 1.0900.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $8,000, risk 0.25%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0750, stop 1.0710.
    Your decision
  17. Setup c17GBPUSD · wide array, wide stop
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price in deep discount at 1.2450 on a validated weekly bullish order block.
    • The array is large: its structural low plus spread puts the stop at 1.2400.
    • Objective: the daily premium array at 1.2620.
    • It is Monday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    Your decision
  18. Setup c18EURUSD · everything agrees, marginally
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bearish. Price in premium at 1.0980 on a validated bearish order block.
    • Objective: the daily discount array at 1.0880.
    • It is Wednesday. Account $3,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0980, stop 1.1010.
    Your decision
  19. Setup c19GBPUSD · two theses
    • Monthly bullish. Weekly bearish. Daily bullish.
    • There is a validated bullish order block in discount at 1.2520 and a validated bearish order block in premium at 1.2880.
    • You can construct a coherent story for either direction.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%. Both would clear 3:1.
    Your decision
  20. Setup c20EURUSD · the last one
    • Monthly, weekly and daily bullish. Price in discount at 1.0680 on a validated 4H bullish order block that overlaps the 70.5% retracement of the swing that produced the move — within 8 pips.
    • SMT: GBPUSD failed to make the matching low at this level.
    • Objective: the daily premium array at 1.0800; external liquidity above that at 1.0860.
    • It is Tuesday. Account $2,000, risk 0.5%, pip value $10, pip size 0.0001.
    • Planned entry 1.0680, stop 1.0650.
    Your decision

Why skipping is the skill

The setups that fail the 3:1 filter are the point of the whole exercise. Six years in, you do not need help finding reasons to enter; you need practice walking away from a chart that wants you in it. The review is built to make not trading feel like a complete, successful action — because in this system it is.

The gate, from the flowchart

If No Conditions Are Present To Frame 3:1 At Minimum – Sidelines For Now & Wait For More Developments in Price

— Month 12 Notes, p.85 ↗ · verbatim

The live gate — and the page you cannot skip

Passing the review is not permission to trade with money. It is the first rung of a ladder that is deliberate and non-negotiable, and directly above it sits a page you must read in full. It cannot be skipped, and it is not a legal disclaimer — it is the set of things that are true about this course and this method. Read it now, before you go a step further:

Read this before you go live →

What it says, in brief, is that nothing in this course has been backtested, that this course cannot make you profitable — it can only make you competent and consistent — that a low win rate is the design rather than a malfunction, and that small accounts produce small absolute returns while the process is proven. Read it on the page, in full, and acknowledge it there. Then the gate is:

  1. Capstone ≥16/20, zero sizing errors, zero sub-3:1 takes.
  2. Four weeks demo, ≥20 setups logged, zero rule violations in the final 10 days.
  3. Live at 0.25% risk, one pair, for three months minimum.
  4. Review: rule-compliance ≥95% and positive expectancy over ≥40 trades?
    If not — back to demo. This is a normal outcome, not a failure.
  5. Then 0.5% risk, two pairs. Ceiling ever: 1.0%.
Planned for, not a surprise

5 losing trades in a row is inevitable.

— Risk Management, p.1 ↗ · verbatim

After the review: what the capstone is for

The capstone is not the finish line. It is the point where the site stops teaching and starts supporting. Four things keep working after today:

  • The weakness report — /drills tracks your scores by concept and serves more of your weakest material. A capstone miss on a discount-array decision should send you straight back to the drills tagged for it.
  • The daily deck — five minutes of spaced repetition on the verbatim definitions, Leitner-boxed (cards you miss come back sooner; cards you know drift further apart), at /reference/deck. Definitional precision decays fastest, and it is the precision that keeps a plan from becoming an opinion. Your library is where the words come from: every term you need is defined by the source.
  • The glossary and reconciliation table — /reference/glossary holds every term the course uses, defined by the source, alongside the modern-vs-your-library reconciliation that explains why some words you heard on YouTube never matched your PDFs.
  • The journal — /journal is the instrument you took live. The number graded is rule-compliance, not P&L, and the three-count habit (taken / skipped by rule / missed) is what the weekly review is built on.

The decision rule

Decision rule DR-CAP
When
Once the fifteen modules are done, and every time a chart tempts you after the capstone is behind you.
Then
Run the six-step loop until it is boring: bias (three timeframes, including NEUTRAL) → arrays and the half you shop from → phase and session, and the day of the week → entry, stop, targets from structure → R and size, computed not estimated → decide take or skip. A skip with a defensible reason is a correct, finished decision. No setup that fails the 3:1 filter is taken, ever, no matter how good it looks.
Otherwise
If the honesty page has not been read, or the demo gate is not satisfied, money does not move. A limit you decide in the moment is not a limit. If the setup fails the 3:1 filter or the bias is NEUTRAL, you take no trade — and that is a completed, successful outcome.

Done with CAP?

Mark it complete only if you could teach the decision rule to someone else without scrolling back up. Completion is stored in this browser.