This research examines whether the ordering of the difficulty of exams can influence student beliefs about their academic abilities and the impact of these beliefs on their performance. The ordering of the difficulty of test items has shown to affect performance. Study One (n = 91) examined college student differences in reaction to a difficult and an easy exam. Results suggest that the ordering of difficulty of exams may influence self-efficacy of students. Study Two (n = 178) examines whether this self-efficacy (and other beliefs about the self) can impact college student performance on actual exam scores over time. The results of this research suggest that the ordering of difficulty of assignments can affect student's self-efficacy about the class. It finds that the impact on self-efficacy may affect overall performance early in the class but that this impact may not be long lasting. This is due to the positive evidence received later in the course that may contradict initial low performance and give confidence in the student's ability to achieve high performance. The results have implications for segments of the student population that may be disproportionately impacted by self-perceptions such as the first generation student.