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

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