1. What is "Deviation"?
Deviation, also known as slippage tolerance, refers to the maximum difference allowed between the requested price and the actual execution price when placing a market order (buy/sell).
📌 A protection mechanism to prevent excessive slippage
📌 Within the set deviation, the platform executes at the best available price
📌 If the deviation is exceeded → the order may be rejected or requoted
2. When does deviation occur?
Scenario | Example |
Market order placement | Quick buy/sell, system executes immediately |
High-volatility periods | Major news, NFP, interest rate decisions |
Network latency or high-frequency operations | Order speed faster than price updates |
3. How to set deviation? (MT5 Desktop)
✅ Steps:
Open MT5 → Right click on a symbol → "New Order"
Locate the Deviation setting in the order window
Default unit is “points”
1 point = minimum price change (e.g., 0.0001 for EURUSD)
Enter a value such as 10 or 20 points depending on market volatility
✅ Larger deviation → Higher execution success but larger slippage
✅ Smaller deviation → More accurate but may cause order rejection
4. Practical Example
Assume your maximum deviation is set to 10 points:
Market Buy EURUSD at 1.1000
Execution price is 1.1008 → Difference 8 points ✅ Within range → Executed
Execution price is 1.1012 → Difference 12 points ❌ Exceeds range → Rejected or requoted
5. FAQ
Question | Answer |
Is deviation related to Stop Loss/Take Profit? | No, it only affects market order execution tolerance. |
How much deviation should I set? | 10–20 points is common; Gold, Oil etc. may require larger values. |
Does deviation apply only to market orders? | Yes, pending orders are not affected. |
What if deviation setting fails? | Retry or use pending orders to reduce slippage risks. |