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

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