The Practice Question Plateau: When You are Doing 100 Questions But Not Improving

You are doing the work. Thirty questions a night. Full mocks on weekends. Hundreds of questions logged.

But your score is not moving.

This is the practice question plateau. And it feels like you are running in place.

Why More Questions Is Not The Answer

The plateau does not happen because you are not doing enough questions. It happens because something is broken in how you are processing them.

I see candidates stuck here all the time. They assume the fix is more volume. So they do fifty questions instead of thirty. Then seventy-five. But the score stays flat.

Volume without reflection is just busywork.

The Real Problem: You Are Not Learning From Mistakes

When you do a practice question and get it wrong, what happens next?

Most candidates read the explanation once. Maybe twice. Then they move on to the next question.

That is where the plateau begins.

Getting a question wrong is not the end. It is the beginning. The explanation is the point where learning actually happens. But if you just skim it and move forward, you miss that moment entirely.

How The Plateau Actually Breaks

Breaking through requires a shift in how you approach every wrong answer.

1. Spend Real Time On The Explanation

When you get a question wrong, do not rush to the next one. Sit with the explanation. Read it carefully. Ask yourself: Why did I miss this? Where exactly did my logic break down?

This is not passive reading. You are actively hunting for the gap in your understanding.

Sometimes the gap is obvious. You did not know a rule. Sometimes it is subtle. You knew the rule but misapplied it to this scenario. Both require different fixes.

2. Categorize Your Mistakes

Not all wrong answers are the same. Some are careless errors. Some are gaps in knowledge. Some are timing issues.

Start tagging your mistakes. Write them down. Over time, you will see patterns. Maybe you consistently miss contract law questions because you are unclear on formation. Or you rush through criminal procedure and miss details.

Once you see the pattern, you know exactly what to study next. Not random topics. The topics that are actually tripping you up.

3. Revisit Mistakes Before Moving Forward

This is critical. Your wrong questions bank should grow for a while, then slowly shrink as you understand more.

Each week, pull up your mistakes from the previous week. Try them again without looking at the explanation. If you still get it wrong, read the explanation again. If you finally understand it, remove it from the pile.

That shrinking pile is proof you are improving. It breaks the plateau.

The Mistake Candidates Make

Why This Matters

The plateau is not a sign you are not ready. It is a sign your study approach needs adjustment.

When you shift from "doing questions" to "learning from mistakes," everything changes. Your score starts moving again. Your confidence returns. And suddenly, more questions feel useful because you are actually absorbing them.

The plateau breaks not when you work harder, but when you work differently.