I just recently recieved my drivers license, dispite that I'm 23. I lived in Hong Kong for a good long time and the mass transit there is so far evolved, driving a car is actually a disadvantage unless you have a parking space reserved in every place you want to visit. Plus the process of getting a drivers license in Hong Kong is 10 times more expensive than in the states. But I started the process in January and finished in July and I've learned a number of things;
1) ALWAYS be alert; Do not daydream while driving.
2) Be aware of your surroundings; You never know when a white minivan will be pulling up to you in your blind spot when you're trying to switch to another lane.
3) Keep distance to your feeling of safety; If you're still wet around the ears, leave a bit of space between you and the car in front.
4) Driving is priority 1; If you're having trouble trying to speak an idea or sentence while driving, don't finish it and keep your brain focused on driving.
5) Use your big toe, not your foot; For me, personally, I find that simply using my big toe or my toes to accelerate is easier to operate than using my whole foot. You can use the whole of the foot for the brake.
6) Cars bunching up + Red stop light = STOP; When you see a red light up ahead and cars bunching up but still look like they're moving, slow down and prepare to stop. I had a few close calls on this and my dad wasn't too happy about those occasions.
7) Remain calm; You're eventually going to encounter drivers behind you or around you that will not know that you are practicing driving and will be impatient and irritable. They'll start honking their horns at you or whatnot. REMAIN CALM. Safety first. If your about to turn into the bank but have to wait an extended period since cars are still going through the lanes between you in the turning lane and the bank and the guy behind you starts honking like a mad man, don't charge through the traffic. I did that once 'cause I got all panicy, of which my dad was not too pleased about.
Above all, you have the same right to be on the road as anyone else. Don't forget that.
As for getting tested etc, note that the written test is pretty easy. Just answer the questions reasonably and calmly. For me, there was a computer where we just touched the answers on the screen. And when you finally get to the driving test, basically it's who you get. My mom was getting a US drivers license and she failed her first test, even though she had been driving longer than I've been alive, yet I managed to pass my drivers test on the first go. Also it doesn't hurt to know how to parallel park, even though I really didn't have to do it when I took my test. All she asked me to do was pull up onto the curb and back up. And it only took 15 minutes. Of course things maybe different between Oregon and Kansas or wherever you are so it doesn't hurt to know parallel parking.
That's all I guess I can impart without writing a series of novels about my first experiences with driving. Driving by yourself after years of being chauffered around simply kicks buttocks in the good way. Good luck and drive safely!
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Pimpin out my horse and cart. Its got fresh horse crap, to candales, and a window WITH GLASS!!!! 
