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

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