¿Para qué sirve una cuenta demo en índices sintéticos?

Para cuatro cosas concretas: aprender a manejar la plataforma sin coste, practicar el cálculo del tamaño de cada posición, medir un sistema con una muestra amplia de operaciones y automatizar la rutina de registro. Lo que no entrena es la parte emocional de operar con dinero propio, y por eso no debe ser la única preparación antes de pasar a real.

¿Los resultados en demo son iguales que en real?

No necesariamente. Las condiciones de la demo pueden diferir de las de la cuenta real (ejecución, spread, disponibilidad de instrumentos o el propio comportamiento del alumno al no arriesgar dinero). Además, en demo es habitual asumir riesgos que no se asumirían con dinero propio, lo que invalida la comparación. La demo sirve para medir la mecánica, no para predecir resultados.

¿Cuánto tiempo hay que estar en demo?

Hasta acumular una muestra suficiente: como referencia práctica, no menos de 100 operaciones registradas con reglas escritas y riesgo constante, revisadas por bloques. El tiempo en semanas importa menos que el número de operaciones y la calidad del registro.

¿Es malo reiniciar la cuenta demo?

Sí, si se hace para borrar una racha mala. Reiniciar la demo cuando se pierde elimina precisamente la información que hay que estudiar (cómo se comporta la cuenta en una racha) y crea un hábito que en real no se puede repetir. Es mejor anotar el reinicio y seguir con las cifras visibles.

¿Cuándo está justificado pasar a una cuenta real?

Cuando se cumplen cuatro condiciones: existe una muestra medida con esperanza conocida, el drawdown máximo observado es asumible, el riesgo por operación y los límites están escritos, y se ha probado la retirada con un importe pequeño. El paso a real debe hacerse con el tamaño mínimo posible, no con el que permite la cuenta.

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Synthetic indices demo account: how to use it well

By Luis Sanches y Milton Bertillo, mentors at SHEFA Trading Academy · Updated 21 September 2026 · Reading time: 5 min

The demo account is the best learning tool any broker offers… and also the one that creates the most bad habits when used like a video game. The difference is not in the platform: it is in the rules you use it with and in whether you record what you do.

What changes and what does not compared with a live account

Aspect	In demo	Consequence
Money at risk	None	This is the fundamental difference: without real risk, the emotional side is not trained.
Execution conditions	May differ from live	Spread, latency and slippage may not match: the demo does not certify results.
Available instruments	Usually the same	It is useful for learning the contract specification with real data.
Recording and measurement	Identical if you want	This is where the real value lies: you can measure the system without risking capital.
Your behaviour	Tends to be more aggressive	It is the blind spot: in demo you risk what you would not risk with your own money.

Practical conclusion: the demo measures mechanics (calculation, platform, routine, automation). It does not measure temperament, and temperament is half the result.

What it is really for

Learning the platform at no cost: orders, stops, targets, execution types and Market Watch.
Practising size calculation until it comes out without thinking, with the lot formula and your broker's contract data.
Measuring a system with a broad sample (one hundred trades or more) and with constant risk.
Automating the routine: trade journal, weekly review and limit control.
Testing tools and expert advisors (installation of an EA, limits, automatic size calculation) before using them with capital.

What it is NOT for

To conclude that you are profitable. Many trades in demo are closed with decisions you would not make with real money.
To train emotional management of a loss: without money there is no loss to manage.
To show off results: a demo proves nothing to anyone, not even to yourself.
To skip record-keeping: if you don't note things down, there is nothing to learn from one hundred trades.

The five rules for making the demo useful

Realistic starting capital: the same as you would put in real (not a virtual million). Unreal capital produces unreal sizes.
Fixed risk per trade: the percentage you would actually use (for example 1%), calculated in the same way as in real.
Complete record: reason for entry according to your rule, stop distance, size, result in R and what you did with the position.
Do not reset the account when things go badly. The losing streak is the most valuable piece of data the demo will give you; deleting it is throwing away the work.
Minimum sample before forming an opinion: one hundred trades and review in blocks of fifty. Before that, any conclusion is noise.

When to move to real (and with what size)

Condition	Why
Measured sample with known expectancy	You know what to expect and what not to.
Acceptable maximum observed drawdown	It's what you'll really have to withstand, not what you'd like.
Risk per trade and written limits	Without written limits, the first losing streak decides for you.
Withdrawal test passed	Confirms that the money comes out without friction (see how to verify a broker).
Platform mastered	No handling errors at the moment of greatest pressure.

When you move to live, start with the minimum size that your plan allows, not the one your margin allows. The first objective in live is not to win: it is to check that you execute the same plan as in demo.

Frequently asked questions

What is a demo account for?

To learn the platform at no cost, practise position sizing, measure a system with a large sample and automate the logging routine. It does not train the emotional side.

Are demo results equivalent to live results?

Not necessarily: execution conditions may differ and the trader's behaviour changes when their own money is involved. The demo measures mechanics, not future results.

How long should you stay in demo?

Until you have a sufficient sample: no fewer than 100 logged trades with written rules and constant risk, reviewed in blocks.

Is it bad to reset the demo?

Resetting to erase a bad streak is a mistake: it removes the most instructive data and creates a habit that is impossible in live. If you reset, write it down.

When do I move to live?

With a measured sample, acceptable drawdown, written risk and limits and a withdrawal test passed. And with the smallest possible size.

Practise with rules, not illusions

At the academy, the demo is used as a laboratory: the same rules as in live, the same log and the same review in blocks.

View the training →

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Risk warning. Synthetic indices and CFDs are leveraged products with high risk of loss; most retail accounts lose money. Educational content, not financial advice.