I should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceFailure isnot anoptionI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI 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 apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceFailure isnot anoptionI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI 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 apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistake

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