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

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