Patterns of student performance were examined in a personalized instruction (PSI) course. Introductory psychology students (N=65) were randomly divided into a completely self-paced group and a group that had an early, instructor-imposed deadline. It was hypothesized that the early deadline group would respond at a more even pace throughout the course than the completely self-paced group. The data supported this hypothesis. Students in the deadline group paced their exam-taking rather evenly across the term, while the self-paced group exhibited a typical flurry of activity toward the end of the term. In addition, attempts were made to predict patterns of performance from a number of relevant variables using multiple regression. Achievement motivation and organizational skills accounted for the most variance in pacing behavior, with motivation/interest in college study habits and GPA accounting for significant portions of the variance. (Author)