Had a coffee break at work, saw the question and decided this would probably be the best use I could give the next 10 mins. Here goes my answer!
The internet is a goldmine for free french resources. For starters though, I recommend getting a "feel" for the language. That is, actually mimicking as if you "spoke" the language through the 4 skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. I think the Pimsleur's Beginner French course and Assimil French as well work wonders for this. I used Lawless French back in the day as well, which I really liked. Italki is great for finding tutors and you can also find people who will help you with test prep, when you're ready for that. Google precise grammar mistakes as they pop up in your head. Tex's french grammar is great for this. Once you get into really intricate stuff, you may want to look up "Le bon usage" by Maurice Grevisse. If you can nail a few of the details in that book, it'll surely boost your writing/speaking test score.
Another tip: Fill your life with french! Join an online community; there's many discord servers for many interests, language learning in general or just hobbies in french, just google them. I recommend having a B1/B2 level when you venture past the learner ones, people will respond amazingly. For starting out the "listening" portion, RFI's le journal en français facile was a godsend; you can play these short news snippets on your way to work, for example. I personally love Language Learning with Netflix as well, not to mention that I've amassed a pretty good library of french books by now. For additional inspiration, look for Kato Lomb's "Polyglot". Short book, but she lays down a lot of the "important stuff" that goes into learning a language.
The real answer is that you have to get comfortable with it; no learner is the same. Your "mission", so to speak, the first few months or so, is to figure out how you learn the best and go with it. Whether it's watching series, in a classroom setting, reading books, or a combination of all. Figure out what draws you into the language and pursue it till the end!
Remember: in the end, consistency trumps all.
