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7. How can I prepare for the FAA "written" test?

Many people prepare by attending ground school (a series of classes, usually offered by the flight school or a college). Other students study on their own, using their CFI, books, videos, and/or software as resources. The best idea is to do everything you can, since you should be trying to learn the material, not just to pass a test. Ground school offers several advantages:

The instructor can answer your questions, provide local and updated information, and go beyond the limits of the textbook.
Students can learn from each other's experiences.
Attending classes regularly can help keep your study on track, especially if there are quizzes. You will probably never be more ready to take the written than right at the end of ground school.

Ground school is usually inexpensive; I paid about $100 for the ten-week class, in addition to the cost of the books, which I would have needed anyway to study on my own.

Software can be useful to prepare for the test. It won't teach you the material, but it will tell you how ready you are to take the test. Most common test-prep software (King, Jeppesen, Gleim, freeware, etc.) allows you to answer actual test questions by category, so you can focus on your weaker areas. I went through the questions repeatedly; once I could score 90 or better in a category, I stopped studying it and went on to the others. When I got through them all, I knew I was ready to take the real test.