I was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchFailure isnot anoptionDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I should beable to domost thingsby myselfIf I can doit, anyonecanI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skillsto live up to mycredentialsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I hold backwhen workingwith a groupor teamI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchFailure isnot anoptionDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI should feellucky that Igot thisaward/jobNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI qualify thingsby saying:"This may notbe right, but..."I should beable to domost thingsby myselfIf I can doit, anyonecanI 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. I was probably chosen/hired/admitted because of some kind of mistake
  2. I don't tell anyone I feel like an impostor
  3. I assume when people are complementing that they are being nice
  4. I look really good on paper but I don't really have the skills to live up to my credentials
  5. I succeeded because I had a lot of help
  6. I try to be really personable and friendly so people won't notice or mind if I'm not that good.
  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. Do not let people see you working too hard
  10. I panic before a test or presentation or performance
  11. It was a fluke. I can only be this good once
  12. I apologize for mistakes or for not knowing something
  13. I remind others of how much I don't know so they don't expect too much
  14. Failure is not an option
  15. Don't challenge yourself for fear that you might look bad if you don't know something
  16. Eventually people will realize that I'm not that smart
  17. I should feel lucky that I got this award/job
  18. Never let on that you do not know how to do something
  19. I only won/accomplished because there wasn't that much competition
  20. I should just "get it" like everyone around me
  21. I qualify things by saying: "This may not be right, but..."
  22. I should be able to do most things by myself
  23. If I can do it, anyone can
  24. I assume I will fall short so I won't be disappointed when I do