I qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardIf I can doit, anyonecanI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardIf I can doit, anyonecanI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomething

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