Before you begin, it’s important to know that imposter syndrome is not an official diagnosis as it’s not included in DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Imposter syndrome (or impostor syndrome) is a widespread phenomenon that affects both men and women equally. It is estimated that up to 70 percent of the population had an imposter moment in their lives, yet most people prefer not to talk about it.
The test below is provided for educational purposes only.
I am not as smart as other people think.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My success is a result of a happy accident.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My teachers/employers have low standards.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I obsess about the tiniest imperfections in my work.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I am terrified to talk to people because they might find out “the truth” about me (the perceived “truth” can be the belief that you are not as smart as they think or the idea that you don’t deserve to be where you are).
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I feel like I don’t belong where I am (e.g., leadership positions, high social status, etc.)
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
If I had to do it all over, I would probably fail.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Compliments make me feel uncomfortable.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My success is all about timing.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I engage in self-defeating behaviors (e.g., procrastinating, overeating, substance abuse, and other ways to stand in your own way).
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Compared to other people in my field, I really lack skills and experience.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I should have achieved much more by now.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I don’t ask for help because I should be able to do this by myself.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I try my best to maintain a low profile to avoid being unmasked.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
You don’t need to have any special skills, talents, or education to do what I did.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My work isn’t good enough to charge for it.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I always doubt myself.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I tend to over-prepare to avoid being caught.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I have a general tendency to discount my abilities.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
It feels as though my success isn’t real.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I need to work harder than everybody else to compensate for my inadequacies.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Deep inside, I fear success because “The higher you climb, the harder you fall.”
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Success attracts attention, and that makes me feel uncomfortable.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
If I did this, then how hard can it be?
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
You don’t need to be smart to accomplish the same.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I got a lot of help / I had connections.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I have no idea how I pulled it off.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I got lucky.
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
0-14 Very few IS (imposter syndrome) characteristics.
15-28 Some IS characteristics.
29-56 Very uncomfortable experiences due to IS.
If your results suggest that you may have moderate to strong IS tendencies, you are likely to be motivated to learn and work harder so that you can finally feel that your skills are adequate and your work is valuable.
On the negative side, however, this motivation doesn’t come from a healthy place. The price of success, in this case, is your constant anxiety and exhaustion.
To make things worse, you are likely to hide your feelings and suffer in isolation. It doesn’t come as a surprise that imposter syndrome is often associated with anxiety and depression.
A lot of people with imposter syndrome are perfectionists. They can be very smart about what they do, but they wish to be geniuses.
Some of them may spend unreasonable amounts of time on their work, hoping to get it perfect. Some others, however, may procrastinate for the very same reason.
There are those who attribute their success to luck, connections, or their likable personalities. And there are those who believe they succeeded because they worked harder than everyone else despite their perceived lack of skills and intelligence.
Tips and ideas:
1. Focus on your strengths instead of perceived flaws.
2. If you have been successful for a while, you must be doing something right.
3. Things don’t have to be hard to be great.
4. If you don’t know everything there is possibly to know about your subject field, it doesn’t necessarily make you ignorant.
5. Not all goals can be achieved from the first try. Trying and failing can be part of the process.
6. Be aware of what you do to “protect” yourself from being discovered:
- switching jobs,
- not speaking out in meetings or in class,
- procrastinating so that you don’t have to show your work to others,
- keeping a very low profile to avoid scrutiny,
- sabotaging yourself,
- limiting yourself because you believe that you can’t replicate your success in another place or in another domain.
7. If you are a perfectionist, learn to stop when the task is done well enough.
8. If you spend too much time overpreparing and trying to get things perfect, limit the time you spend on your work projects.
9. Asking for help isn’t necessarily a sign of weakness or incompetence.
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