Actual ACT test drastically different than my Practice tests

I take practice tests at home with the same official time limit, sometimes 5 minutes less in order to compensate for filling out the bubbles. I get about composite 32-34 range with the practice tests. I have only taken the previously administered tests. I've also all the tests from the red ACT book, and even in the Red book I get a composite score range of 32-34. However, on the real test, my scores are drastically different. It's very low compared to the range. I got 27. This has happens to me not once, but three times. I've only taken the test 3 times. And before each tests, I practiced my heart out. I gave all my studying to ACT sometimes skipping homework. And yet, on 3 of the tests I get fricking 27 when I've been practicing and getting 32-34. From this you should understand how frustrating and discouraging this is. Please Help me.

If you can't figure out why you keep earning lower scores on the real test, I'd recommend ordering test information release from the ACT so you can see exactly which questions you're getting wrong. This will provide some insight into the reasons behind the score disparity. My guess is that it has something to do with higher anxiety levels on the real test than on practice tests, but I can't say for sure.

It sounds like you're definitely studying the right way, but you should take a break for now to avoid getting burnt out. Don't sabotage your regular school work for the sake of getting higher ACT scores! It's really important to understand exactly what's going wrong before you jump back into taking more practice tests.