I assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI preferpeople tounderestimatemeI was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Failure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hard"This is asillyquestion..."Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI bettersign upfor morethingsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI preferpeople tounderestimatemeI was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Failure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hard"This is asillyquestion..."Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI bettersign upfor morethingsI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomething

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