I was stuck in the mid 160's for almost a year and I just had no idea how to improve because I didn't understand what my problems were. Once a very good tutor pointed them out to me, my score shot up to mid/low 170's over night and never came back down. So you just got to know what you need to work on so that you can maximize the returns on the time you have. You can work all day every day on the wrong thing and your score won't budge. If you focus on the correct things though, it is possible to make substantial gains very quickly.

Do you mind sharing who your tutor was? I'm currently seeking one. Thank you.