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

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