I was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomethingI was probablychosen/hired/admittedbecause of some kindof mistakeIf I can doit, anyonecanI onlywon/accomplishedbecause therewasn't that muchcompetitionI hold backwhenworking witha group orteamI qualifythings bysaying: "Thismay not beright, but..."Never let onthat you donot knowhow to dosomethingI should feellucky that Igot thisdeal/case/jobI panic beforea test orpresentationorperformanceI should beable to domost thingsby myselfI should just"get it" likeeveryonearound meI assume whenpeople arecomplementingthat they arebeing niceI don't tellanyone Ifeel like animpostorDo not letpeople seeyou workingtoo hardI apologizefor mistakesor for notknowingsomethingI assume Iwill fall shortso I won't bedisappointedwhen I doI try to be reallypersonable andfriendly so peoplewon't notice ormind if I'm not thatgood.Eventuallypeople willrealize thatI'm not thatsmartI look reallygood on paperbut I don't reallyhave the skills tolive up to mycredentialsFailure isnot anoptionIt was afluke. I canonly be thisgood onceI succeededbecause Ihad a lot ofhelpI always sharecredit withothers even ifI did most ofthe workI remind othersof how much Idon't know sothey don'texpect toomuchDon't challengeyourself for fearthat you mightlook bad if youdon't knowsomething

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