Admitting you had an imaginary twin as a child may not seem the obvious way to impress at a prospective employer, but it could help land your next job.

Britain’s biggest companies and government departments are now using deep psychological profiling, to sift through applicants and weed out risky or unsuitable candidates.

A team of graduates from Cambridge University has developed an in-depth psychometric screening test which uncovers the ‘subconscious latent potential’ of employees while getting rid of job-seekers who look good on paper, but could prove a liability in the workplace.

The developers claim the 30 minute online assessment - dubbed a ‘corporate x-ray’ - can reveal people’s underlying motivations and metal health problems. Usually it would take six hours on a psychologist’s couch to make a similar analysis.

Instead of quizzing applicants about their strengths and weakness, or asking them to demonstrate leadership ability, the test asks 55 questions such as ‘have you ever had an imaginary twin?’ and probes how people handle conflicts with their partners or parents.

The team say talking about an imaginary twin allows people to offer up information that they may have chosen to keep hidden when talking about themselves, such as feeling ashamed, competitive or jealous.