Another big difference between Europe and the US - in most countries (and I think France is one of them) you have to take your driving and written tests through an official driving school. (It does mean you get to use the driving school's car to take the driving test, though.) A decent driving instructor can also show you all the little "tricks" the examiners use and they generally know all the favorite spots in the area for testing.

In Germany, the auto school instructor let me just do some sessions in the car to prep for the test. He said I could sit in on the classes, but I just bought a copy of the exam questions and studied on my own from that. The written tests here are considerably harder than those given in the US. There may be more than one correct answer, and if so, you have to pick all the correct answers to get the question correct.

Some of the US expat groups are pushing more states to establish reciprocity with France, but I honestly think they should back off. To drive over here you need to know how to drive a stick shift car and you ought to learn some of the subtle differences in the rules of the road and driving habits.
Cheers,
Bev