It was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't seemyself astalentedtherefore Iam a fraudEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamIf I can doit, anyonecanNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doFailure isnot anoptionI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.I should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."I assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI don't seemyself astalentedtherefore Iam a fraudEventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamIf I can doit, anyonecanNever let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomething

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