Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingIf I can doit, anyonecanI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetition

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