I onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI 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.I bettersign upfor morethingsI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsFailure isnot anoptionI preferpeople tounderestimatemeI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood once"This is asillyquestion..."I assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorIf I can doit, anyonecanI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI don't knowenoughenough aboutdiversity, whyam I here?Do not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI 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.I bettersign upfor morethingsI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsFailure isnot anoptionI preferpeople tounderestimatemeI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I was probablychosenbecause ofsome kind ofmistakeNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood once"This is asillyquestion..."I assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doPeople thinkI'm smarterthan I reallyamI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI assume whenpeople arecomplimentingthat they arebeing niceDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorIf I can doit, anyonecanI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformance

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