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

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