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

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