Imposter Shame Test
Please add up your score as you go through and once you have a total score see the criteria below
Agree = 1.5
Agree slightly = 1
Disagree = 0.5
No matter what I do, it never feels good enough
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I don’t know who I really am
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I tend to over-prepare to avoid being embarrassed or put on the spot
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I obsess about the tiniest imperfections in my work
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I find it hard to receive compliments I feel unworthy of them
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I compare myself with others all the time and see them as better than me
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I don’t ask for help because I believe I should be able to do this myself
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
I always doubt myself
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
When I achieve success, I have trouble enjoying it or even believing in my accomplishments or assume others would have done it with less work
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Deep inside, I fear success because it increases the pressure on me and the risk of me failing
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I people please or ‘over-caregive’ to others to be liked and accepted
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My success is also due to the fact that I got a lot of help / I had connections
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I got lucky
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
If I am not achieving then I am of little or no worth to anyone
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I feel like I don’t belong where I am (e.g. my job role)
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I am not as clever or find things as easy as other people think I do
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I am nervous to talk to people because they might find out “the truth” about me that I am not as talented or effortlessly achieving as I might appear to be
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I self sabotage (e.g., procrastinating, overeating, substance abuse, and other ways)
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I should have achieved more in my life by now
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I hide my flaws or distract others away from them to avoid the embarrassment of being revealed
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I can be judgemental of less hard working colleagues
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I often find I put myself down
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I am prone to overworking. I need to work harder than everybody else to compensate for my inadequacies
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
Success attracts attention, and that makes me feel uncomfortable
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
My employers have low standards and are easily impressed by me
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
I have no idea how I got this job or held that meeting/ presentation
Agree
Agree slightly
Disagree
0-14 Very few Imposter syndrome feelings, beliefs and behaviours
15-28 Moderate Imposter syndrome feelings, beliefs and behaviours
29-56 Strong Imposter syndrome feelings, beliefs and behaviours
If your score is greater than 14 then it is likely you place great value on achievements and hard work and unconsciously use these mood altering behaviours to compensate for not feeling good enough inside.
You are also likely to feel constant anxiety, fatigue and possibly depression.
You may well be hard on yourself, a perfectionist and hide your feelings suffering in isolation.
You may also be the opposite however and procrastinate for the very same reason, afraid you will fail or others will see the flaws in your work.
Moderate to strong IS tendencies
You will drive yourself to work harder or more perfectly in order to feel you are of worth and good enough however no matter how hard you try to do things to make yourself feel of worth that good enough feeling will be short lived as deep-down underneath is a deep-seated limiting belief that no matter what you do you are not good enough.
As a reaction to losing that good enough feeling you will quickly feel the need to get back on to the hamster wheel and again unconsciously chase your worth and success again but this leaves you in a constant state of anxiety, tiredness and a feeling of emptiness. You may recognise it as a lonely, shameful feeling which often comes with anxiety or depression.
You may spend unreasonable amounts of time on your work, hoping to get it perfect. Or you may procrastinate for the very same reason or people please or over-care give towards others in an attempt to feel good again.
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.
So, the question you must have now is: Why do I feel this way? How can I get rid of it?
As a Counsellor over the years I have seen hundreds of clients turn up for a consultation full of the same phrases: ‘I don’t know who I am’, ‘I can see logically that I am doing well in my job/relationship/ endeavours yet no matter what I do or how much I achieve I am still left with a deep conflicted feeling that I am not good enough or an imposter’ and/or ‘I am a perfectionist’, or ‘I have a very addictive personality’ or ‘I get my greatest pleasure when caring for others but do not know what I would like for myself and sometimes I do get worn out or resentful but I know I shouldn’t’. ‘I just would rather be anyone other than me.
Why do I feel like that?’ They ask. These are some of the sorts of things I hear along with many more…. and as ever I smile inside as I know I am likely to be in front of someone whose life will be changing for the better from this day forward. Now don’t get me wrong, it takes time, owning your journey, practising, and also working through your past - but believe me it’s completely worth it.