HOW THIS TEST WORKS
How Do I Have Imposter Syndrome? works
How version core-v1 is scored, and what it can and cannot tell you.
How it is scored
"Imposter syndrome" is a popular name, not a diagnosis. Researchers call it the imposter phenomenon: the feeling of being a fake, even when you have real skills and success. It was first described by Clance and Imes (1978). A large review found it is common in many groups of people, and is linked to worry, low mood, and burnout (Bravata and others, 2020).
This test looks at five areas: feeling like a fake, giving credit to luck, fear of being found out, brushing off praise, and overworking to prove yourself. Each area has eight sentences. Half describe the feeling and half describe the opposite, so you cannot get a high score just by agreeing with everything. Each answer gives 0 to 4 points.
Each area score runs from 0 to 100. Your overall score is the average of the five areas. Scores are read as Low (0 to 33), Medium (34 to 66), or High (67 to 100). These levels show how you answered. They do not compare you with other people.
PersonalitySite.com wrote all of these questions and descriptions. They are not copied from any other test.
What it cannot tell you
This test is for learning about yourself. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot tell you if you have a mental health condition. Do not use it to make health, work, or school decisions about anyone.
People tend to answer in ways that make them look good. Your answers can also change with your mood and with what is going on at work or school.
This version has not yet been tested with a large group of people, so we do not yet know how accurate it is.