# 🐝 7 Traps That Keep You Stuck Under 165

*A free guide from The Burton Method*

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You've been studying for weeks. You're putting in the hours. But your score won't budge.

Sound familiar?

Here's the truth: **getting past 165 isn't about studying more.** It's about studying smarter — and avoiding the traps that keep most students plateaued.

We've coached hundreds of LSAT students, and we see the same mistakes over and over. This guide breaks down the 7 most common traps — and exactly how to escape them.

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## 🪤 Trap #1: Studying Without a Diagnostic

**The Mistake:**
Jumping straight into practice tests without knowing your actual weaknesses.

**Why It Hurts:**
You waste hours drilling question types you're already decent at — while your real problem areas stay hidden.

**The Fix:**
✅ Take a full, timed diagnostic FIRST
✅ Break down your results by question type
✅ Build your study plan around your weakest 2-3 areas

*Burton Tip: If you're scoring -6 on Weaken questions but -2 on Flaw questions, guess where your time should go?*

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## 🪤 Trap #2: Speed Over Understanding

**The Mistake:**
Racing through questions to "build speed" before mastering the fundamentals.

**Why It Hurts:**
You're training yourself to guess faster — not think better. Speed comes from pattern recognition, and pattern recognition comes from deep understanding.

**The Fix:**
✅ Slow down during the learning phase
✅ Spend 5+ minutes on hard questions — understand WHY each answer is right or wrong
✅ Speed up naturally once concepts click

*Burton Tip: "Just because you can finish in 35 minutes… doesn't mean you should." – Classic LSAT logic.*

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## 🪤 Trap #3: Ignoring Wrong Answers

**The Mistake:**
Checking if you got it right, then moving on.

**Why It Hurts:**
The WRONG answers teach you more than the right ones. Every wrong answer is designed to trap you — understanding the trap is how you avoid it next time.

**The Fix:**
✅ For every question you miss, write down WHY each wrong answer is wrong
✅ Identify the trap type (too extreme? reverses the logic? out of scope?)
✅ Look for patterns in what tricks you

*Burton Tip: We call this "Trap Journaling" — it's boring but it works.*

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## 🪤 Trap #4: The Plateau Panic

**The Mistake:**
Freaking out when your score stops improving for a few weeks.

**Why It Hurts:**
Plateaus are normal. They're a sign your brain is consolidating. Panicking leads to strategy-hopping, which destroys momentum.

**The Fix:**
✅ Expect 2-4 week plateaus — they're part of the process
✅ During plateaus, focus on one specific weakness
✅ Trust the reps

*Burton Tip: Every 170+ scorer we know hit at least one major plateau. They pushed through. You will too.*

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## 🪤 Trap #5: Skipping the Stimulus Breakdown

**The Mistake:**
Reading the passage once and jumping to answers.

**Why It Hurts:**
The stimulus IS the game. If you don't know the conclusion, the premises, and the assumption — you're just guessing with confidence.

**The Fix:**
✅ Before looking at answers, identify:
   - What's the conclusion?
   - What's the support?
   - What's the gap?
✅ The answer should match your prediction

*Burton Tip: Use the "Just because… doesn't mean…" test. Every time.*

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## 🪤 Trap #6: Practice Test Addiction

**The Mistake:**
Taking 3-4 full practice tests a week without proper review.

**Why It Hurts:**
Practice tests are for ASSESSMENT, not learning. If you're not spending 2-3x longer reviewing than taking, you're wasting tests.

**The Fix:**
✅ Max 1-2 full timed tests per week
✅ Spend the rest of your time on targeted drills
✅ Review every single question — right and wrong

*Burton Tip: You only have ~90 official LSATs. Don't burn through them.*

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## 🪤 Trap #7: Going It Alone

**The Mistake:**
Refusing to get help because "I should be able to figure this out myself."

**Why It Hurts:**
The LSAT is a learnable test — but that doesn't mean it's easy to learn alone. Expert guidance compresses months of trial-and-error into weeks.

**The Fix:**
✅ Find a study group, tutor, or structured course
✅ Learn from people who've already cracked it
✅ Invest in yourself — law school ROI is massive

*Burton Tip: We've seen students jump 10+ points just by having someone explain ONE concept differently. Don't be stubborn.*

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## 🎯 Ready to Break Through?

These 7 traps keep most students stuck in the 155-163 range forever.

Now you know what to avoid.

**Next step:** Start studying smarter with The Burton Method.

👉 **[Start Your Free Trial →](https://burtonmethod.com)**

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*Questions? Email us at hello@burtonmethod.com*
