Twenty statements about doubting your competence or deservingness despite evidence of achievement.
Method and research sourcesCIPS measures impostor experiences such as fear of being exposed as less capable, attributing success to luck or error, discounting praise, and doubting whether success can be repeated.
Each response is scored from 1 to 5 and all 20 are summed to 20–100. The four published interpretation bands are ≤40, 41–60, 61–80, and 81–100.
The original instrument, psychometric validation, and systematic review are listed below.
Pauline Rose Clance
Sabine M. Chrisman, William A. Pieper, Pauline R. Clance, Carol L. Holland, Cheryl Glickauf-Hughes
Dena M. Bravata, Sharon A. Watts, Autumn L. Keefer, et al.
Resources are linked by self-doubt, self-esteem, work, and burnout—not by a diagnosis.
How self-criticism differs from useful evaluation, why motivation does not require threats, and how to move from a harsh label to a concrete action.
How to distinguish necessary quality from endless revision, agree on completion criteria and test a fear of mistakes through a safe task.
Why confidence does not appear through affirmations alone, how to notice your inner critic and gradually build self-esteem without constantly comparing yourself with others.
Take the 10-item Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and reflect on your overall attitude toward yourself without diagnostic labels.
Explore concern over mistakes, personal standards, parental expectations and criticism, doubts, and organization with the 35-item FMPS.
No. It describes a pattern of thoughts and feelings and is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis.
Yes. Someone may appear confident or perform well while privately discounting success or fearing exposure.
No. Exclusion, bias, unclear expectations, unstable work, and poor feedback can produce or intensify these experiences.
