Assume youwill fall short soyou won't bedisappointedwhen you doEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI wasadmitted orhiredbecause of amisatkeI apologize fomistakes orfor notknowingsomethingNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI tend toremindpeople howmuch I don'treally knowI attribute myaccomplishmentsto somethingother than myown contributionsIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly dopeople won'tnotice if I'm nothat good.I always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchPanic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI look reallygood on paperbut I donlt reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI should be ableto anticipateproblemsbefore theyoccurI should beable to domost thingsby myselfDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingAssume youwill fall short soyou won't bedisappointedwhen you doEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI wasadmitted orhiredbecause of amisatkeI apologize fomistakes orfor notknowingsomethingNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI tend toremindpeople howmuch I don'treally knowI attribute myaccomplishmentsto somethingother than myown contributionsIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly dopeople won'tnotice if I'm nothat good.I always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchPanic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI look reallygood on paperbut I donlt reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI should be ableto anticipateproblemsbefore theyoccurI should beable to domost thingsby myselfDon'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. Assume you will fall short so you won't be disappointed when you do
  2. Eventually people will realize that I'm not that smart
  3. I assume when people are complementing that they are being nice
  4. I qualify things by saying: "This may not be right, but..."
  5. Do not let people see you working too hard
  6. I was admitted or hired because of a misatke
  7. I apologize fo mistakes or for not knowing something
  8. Never let on that you do not know how to do something
  9. I tend to remind people how much I don't really know
  10. I attribute my accomplishments to something other than my own contributions
  11. It was a fluke. I can only be this good once
  12. I don't tell anyone I feel like an impostor
  13. I should just "get it" like everyone around me
  14. I try to be really personable and friendly do people won't notice if I'm no that good.
  15. I always share credit with others even if I did most of the work
  16. I should feel lucky that I got this deal/case/job
  17. I only won/accomplished because there wasn't that much competition
  18. I remind others of how much I don't know so they don't expect too much
  19. Panic before a test or presentation or performance
  20. I look really good on paper but I donlt really have the skills to live up to my credentials
  21. I hold back when working with a group or team
  22. I should be able to anticipate problems before they occur
  23. I should be able to do most things by myself
  24. Don't challenge yourself for fear that you might look bad if you don't know something