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

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