Personal development

Test yourself for impostor syndrome

Do you ever feel like a fraud in your working life, even though your colleagues see you as skilled and competent? Our quiz helps you discover whether you experience impostor syndrome, so you can take the first steps toward managing it.

Do you recognise the impostor feeling?

You may deliver strong results, receive positive feedback and still feel that you were just lucky, overestimated or close to being found out. These thoughts are not unusual in working lives shaped by high expectations, complexity and highly competent colleagues.

Impostor feelings are often not about lacking ability. They are about how you interpret your own performance. Recognising the patterns can be useful – especially if they make you hold back, overprepare or dismiss recognition.

Take the quiz and see whether you recognise some of the typical impostor patterns.

When doubt weighs more than evidence

Impostor feelings can show up in different ways. Some people explain their success as luck. Others feel they must constantly perform at an extra high level to prove that they belong. Some avoid new tasks because they fear they will not live up to expectations.

In a professional environment, this can be difficult to talk about. When everyone around you seems skilled, specialised and confident, it can be easy to assume that you are the only one who doubts yourself.

Typical patterns may include:

  • You dismiss praise because you think the task “was not that difficult”.
  • You overprepare to avoid being exposed as not good enough.
  • You compare your inner uncertainty with other people’s outer confidence.
  • You hesitate to speak up, even when you have relevant knowledge.

The quiz is a quick reflection tool that can help you put words to patterns many people experience in their working lives.

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