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

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