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

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