As both an instructor and an examiner this is my recommendations
1. Fly a minimum of 2 sessions a week ( a session is a whole morning or afternoon) this will allow time for good briefings and a couple of lessons. Do no more than 3 sessions a week as this will be counter productive.
2. Make sure you have the same instructor who has at least 500 hours and preferably 1000 plus otherwise you are paying for his learning curve
3. Make sure you are ahead of the game on exams.
4. radio, get used to speaking otherwise when you start navigation solo you will be overloaded. Use crib sheets etc etc to help remember.
5. Make sure you can do well all emergencies before doing too much solo including engine off's to the ground, this will build a lot of subconscious confidence. Also God forbid the process is automatic
6. Every so often go out in the machone just to have some fun this may be engine offs quick stops etc etc it will put a smile back on your face
7. Dont let the company charge you for positioning the machine for fuel or doing short hops, to do so you will be paying a datcon rate which is normally 10% greater than air time !
8. Find out from your instructor what parameters you have to fly to so you know how well you are doing.
9. Know the flight manual backwards as we now have to quiz students on the machine, it is no good saying the oil pressure in a 300 is in the green you need to know it is 60 to 90 degrees for instance.
Consider hiring an examiner to give you an " unbiased " flight to see how you are doing, but only if you are in any doubt as to your progress
For your skills test at the end make sure you are well prepared, remember us examiners are really looking at how safe you are so make sure you are doing everything as a sunconcious action eg looking over ones shoulder to check tailboom is clear. Not just sayig T's and P's are green ( if cyl head temp is normally 330 for that machine it could be 400 but still in the green engine is telling you something) Could go on but other things that impress examiners are power margins, I have 2 inches in hand so can do a vertical take off or what ever. dont say fuel, say how much in time and relate it to the rest of the sortie and also how much you have used so far in the sortie. All these things help put the examiner at ease and he may just overlook something that you didnt quite do right.
Lastly do not come to a lesson/ exam if you are tired too stressed as you will be wsting your money
Have fun as you will always do well if you are enjoying it
H 500