Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingFailure isnot anoptionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobIf I can doit, anyonecanI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingFailure isnot anoptionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobIf I can doit, anyonecanI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I do

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