Exam Photo & Signature Size Guide 2026: SSC, IBPS, RRB, UPSC, FPSC, NTS (KB + Pixels)

It is 11:47 PM, the application deadline is midnight, and the portal rejects your photograph for the fourth time: "Image size must be between 20 KB and 50 KB." Your photo is 52 KB. You shrink it — now it is 18 KB and the portal says "file too small." Meanwhile the signature you scanned looks like a grey smudge.

More applications are delayed by photo and signature specification errors than by any form-filling mistake. Every commission publishes its own numbers — KB ranges, exact pixel dimensions, and format rules that differ from portal to portal and change between cycles. Here is the complete 2026 reference, followed by the fixes for every rejection reason we know of.

The complete 2026 requirements table

Exam / Portal	Photo	Signature
SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD)	20–50 KB · 200×230 px · JPG	10–20 KB · 140×60 px
RRB (NTPC, Group D, ALP)	30–70 KB · 35×45 mm	30–70 KB · 50×20 mm
IBPS / SBI (PO, Clerk)	20–50 KB · 200×230 px · JPG	10–20 KB · 140×60 px
UPSC (CSE, NDA, CDS, OTR)	20–300 KB · 350×350 px minimum	20–300 KB
CTET	10–100 KB · 3.5×4.5 cm	4–30 KB · 3.5×1.5 cm
FPSC (Pakistan)	≤ 30 KB · passport size · JPG	per advertisement
PPSC (Punjab, PK)	10–40 KB · 140×177 px · JPG	10–40 KB · 140×80 px
NTS (Pakistan)	50–200 KB · passport size · JPG/PNG	per advertisement

Commissions revise specifications with each notification. Always cross-check the numbers in your own advertisement or information bulletin before submitting — consider this table a fast reference, not a substitute for the official notice.

Why portals reject files — the four real reasons

1. Format mismatch. Nearly every portal demands JPG/JPEG, but iPhone cameras default to HEIC and screenshots are PNG. A file named .jpg that was actually renamed from .png will also fail validation. Conversion must be a real re-encode.

2. Pixel dimensions, not just KB. Portals validate the aspect ratio and exact pixel count. A 20 KB image at 800×920 px fails a 200×230 px requirement even though its size is perfect — and stretching an image to fit distorts facial proportions that get compared against your exam-day face.

3. Over-compression below the minimum. The least-known rule: many portals enforce a minimum KB too. Compressing to 12 KB "to be safe" inside a 20–50 KB window triggers "file too small." The sweet spot is the upper-middle of the range — around 85% of the ceiling — where quality stays sharp and every constraint is satisfied.

4. Scan quality for signatures. A signature photographed on grey paper with shadows compresses terribly: the compressor must spend bytes on noise instead of strokes. Contrast enhancement before compression is what makes a 15 KB signature look hand-inked.

The fix, in one pass

The Exam Photo & Signature Resizer carries every requirement in the table above as a built-in preset. Pick your portal, drop the image, and it center-crops to the exact pixel size (no stretching), re-encodes to JPG, and searches compression quality until the file lands inside the KB range — aiming for the upper-middle so "file too small" never happens. Signatures get a contrast-stretch pass that darkens ink and whitens paper first. Everything runs inside your browser, so your face and signature never touch a server, and it works on weak mobile connections where upload-based resizers time out.

Portal-ready in one click

Keep one high-quality master photo, then generate each portal's version as you need it — SSC today, IBPS next month, FPSC after that.

Taking a photo that survives compression

Plain, light background — a white wall is better than any curtain. Busy backgrounds eat your KB budget and some portals reject them outright.
Face the light — a window in front of you, not behind. Backlit photos compress into dark, muddy blobs.
Head and shoulders, eyes level — the crop is 200×230, so leave room around the head; center-crop will do the rest.
No glasses glare, no caps — the same rules as passport photos apply, and examiners compare the upload against your exam-day face.

Taking a signature that stays crisp at 15 KB

Black gel pen on white paper — thick, consistent strokes survive compression; light pencil does not.
Shoot straight down in good light, fill the frame with the signature only.
Sign your normal speed — a slow, careful signature looks different from your exam-day one and can trigger verification issues.

Frequently asked questions

What is the photo size for the SSC exam form 2026?

SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD) requires a JPG photograph between 20 KB and 50 KB at exactly 200×230 pixels on a plain light background, plus a signature between 10 KB and 20 KB at 140×60 pixels. Specifications are re-issued with each notification — verify against your own advertisement.

How do I reduce my signature to 20 KB without it becoming unreadable?

Photograph the signature on white paper in good light, then run it through a signature preset that resizes to 140×60 px and compresses into the 10–20 KB band. The key trick is contrast enhancement — darkening ink strokes and whitening paper — before compression, so thin strokes survive at tiny file sizes.

Why does the portal say 'file too small' when my photo is under the limit?

Most aspirants over-compress. Several portals enforce a minimum KB as well as a maximum — a 12 KB photo technically passes a 20–50 KB rule's ceiling but fails the 20 KB floor. Target the upper-middle of the allowed range (roughly 85% of the ceiling) for a file that is both sharp and safely inside.

What are the FPSC, PPSC and NTS photo sizes in Pakistan?

FPSC: passport-size photo up to 30 KB in JPG. PPSC: 10–40 KB at 140×177 px for photos and 140×80 px for signatures. NTS: 50–200 KB passport-size, JPG or PNG. Specifications can shift per advertisement — confirm from your own roll-no slip instructions or the commission's notice.

Can I use the same photo for SSC and IBPS forms?

Yes — both want 200×230 px, 20–50 KB JPG, so one processed file serves both. But UPSC (350×350 px minimum) and RRB (35×45 mm) differ, so keep one high-quality master photo and resize it per portal rather than reusing a single exported file everywhere.

Is it safe to upload my photo and signature to online resizers?

It depends entirely on the tool. Upload-based services send your face and signature to a server. Browser-based tools like ToolifyHub's Exam Photo & Signature Resizer process everything locally with the canvas API — the file never leaves your device, which also makes it faster on weak connections.

Portal-specific notes worth knowing

SSC: the photo and signature are also printed on your admit card — quality matters beyond mere acceptance. Dimensions changed between cycles before; re-check the notification.
IBPS/SBI: the signature is matched at interview stage against the exam-day roll-back. Keep your master consistent across all banking forms in a cycle.
UPSC: the 350×350 px minimum is a floor, not a target — larger squares with good detail are accepted and look better on the e-admit card.
FPSC/PPSC/NTS: CNIC copies and thumb impressions sometimes carry their own KB rules in the same advertisement — check the whole annexure, not just the photo section.

Related tools and guides

Exam Photo & Signature Resizer — all 2026 presets built in, processed in your browser.
Image Compressor — general-purpose compression with quality control.
Image Resizer — free-form dimension scaling for any image.
Passport Photo Maker — print-ready passport photos with size presets.

Disclaimer: Specifications reflect the 2026 application cycles as published by the respective commissions and are summarized for convenience. Portals revise requirements per notification — always verify against your own exam advertisement before submitting.