Kayla and Kellie Bingham were accused of “academic dishonesty” in 2016 following an eight-hour exam at the Medical University of South Carolina in which they achieved similar results, CBS reports.

A committee alleged that the twins — who later abandoned their medical careers to become lawyers — “were signalling one another and passing notes” in order to cheat on the exam.

The Binghams subsequently appealed the decision and, having succeeded, sued the school for defamation, citing evidence that identical twins tend to achieve similar results in a range of tests.

Nancy Segal, a psychologist who gave evidence in the four-day trial, told Insider: “They are genetically predisposed to behave the same way. They’ve been raised the same and are natural partners in the same environment.”

The jury sided with the twins and awarded them a total of $1.5 million (around €1.4 million) in damages.

Kayla and Kellie Bingham are both now practising as attorneys with South Carolina law firm Adams and Reese.