I panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardpeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsNever leton thatyou don'tknowIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIf I can doit, anyonecanI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI shouldfeel luckythat I gotthis jobI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamFailure isnot anoptionI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI don'tknow whyI'm hereI was probablyselectedbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardpeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsNever leton thatyou don'tknowIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchIf I can doit, anyonecanI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI shouldfeel luckythat I gotthis jobI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamFailure isnot anoptionI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI don'tknow whyI'm hereI was probablyselectedbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing nice

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