Failure isnot anoptionI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI was probablychosen/admittedbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI shouldfeel luckythat I gotthis scoreI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingme they arebeing niceDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsIf I can doit, anyonecanI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpFailure isnot anoptionI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI was probablychosen/admittedbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI shouldfeel luckythat I gotthis scoreI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingme they arebeing niceDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsIf I can doit, anyonecanI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelp

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.


1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
  1. Failure is not an option
  2. I should be able to do most things by myself
  3. I hold back when working with a group or team
  4. I assume I will fall short so I won't be disappointed when I do
  5. Don't challenge yourself for fear that you might look bad if you don't know something
  6. I was probably chosen/admitted because of some kind of mistake
  7. I qualify things by saying: "This may not be right, but..."
  8. I only won/accomplished because there wasn't that much competition
  9. Eventually people will realize that I'm not that smart
  10. I should feel lucky that I got this score
  11. I always share credit with others even if I did most of the work
  12. I assume when people are complimenting me they are being nice
  13. Do not let people see you working too hard
  14. I try to be really personable and friendly so people won't notice or mind if I'm not that good.
  15. I remind others of how much I don't know so they don't expect too much
  16. I panic before a test or presentation or performance
  17. Never let on that you do not know how to do something
  18. I look really good on paper but I don't really have the skills to live up to my credentials
  19. If I can do it, anyone can
  20. I don't tell anyone I feel like an impostor
  21. I should just "get it" like everyone around me
  22. It was a fluke. I can only be this good once
  23. I apologize for mistakes or for not knowing something
  24. I succeeded because I had a lot of help