Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIf I can doit, anyonecanI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIf I can doit, anyonecanI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentials

Impostor Syndrome Bingo - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. Do not let people see you working too hard
  2. Don't challenge yourself for fear that you might look bad if you don't know something
  3. I qualify things by saying: "This may not be right, but..."
  4. I assume I will fall short so I won't be disappointed when I do
  5. Failure is not an option
  6. I should just "get it" like everyone around me
  7. I remind others of how much I don't know so they don't expect too much
  8. If I can do it, anyone can
  9. I try to be really personable and friendly so people won't notice or mind if I'm not that good.
  10. Eventually people will realize that I'm not that smart
  11. It was a fluke. I can only be this good once
  12. I should be able to do most things by myself
  13. I apologize for mistakes or for not knowing something
  14. Never let on that you do not know how to do something
  15. I assume when people are complementing that they are being nice
  16. I panic before a test or presentation or performance
  17. I should feel lucky that I got this deal/case/job
  18. I only won/accomplished because there wasn't that much competition
  19. I always share credit with others even if I did most of the work
  20. I hold back when working with a group or team
  21. I don't tell anyone I feel like an impostor
  22. I succeeded because I had a lot of help
  23. I was probably chosen/hired/admitted because of some kind of mistake
  24. I look really good on paper but I don't really have the skills to live up to my credentials