I onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI bettersign upfor morethingsI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.If I can doit, anyonecanI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformance"This is asillyquestion..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceFailure isnot anoptionI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I preferpeople tounderestimatemeI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?It was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI bettersign upfor morethingsI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.If I can doit, anyonecanI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformance"This is asillyquestion..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceFailure isnot anoptionI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I preferpeople tounderestimatemeI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?It was afluke. I canonly be thisgood once

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