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

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