Photo & Signature Size for Every Major Exam (2026)
Every government exam form in India asks for a photo and a signature — and almost every one wants a different size and file limit. Upload a 60 KB photo where the limit is 50 KB, or a signature at the wrong width, and the portal simply refuses it, often at 11 pm on the last day. This guide puts the common sizes in one table and shows how to hit them exactly in under a minute.
Always check your exam's notification. These are the sizes most recent forms have used, and the ones our resizers fill in for you, but exam bodies change them between years and between posts. If the official notification says something different, follow the notification.
Photo and signature sizes by exam
| Exam | Photo | Signature |
|---|---|---|
| SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD…) | 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 20–50 KB (only if the form asks for an upload — many SSC forms now capture a live photo) | 4 × 2 cm · 10–20 KB |
| UPSC (CSE, NDA, CDS…) | 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 20–200 KB | 450 × 600 px · 20–100 KB — three signatures one below the other |
| IBPS (PO, Clerk, SO, RRB) | 200 × 230 px · 20–50 KB | 140 × 60 px · 10–20 KB |
| SBI (PO, Clerk) | 200 × 230 px · 20–50 KB | 140 × 60 px · 10–20 KB |
| RRB (NTPC, Group D, ALP…) | 35 × 45 mm · 20–50 KB | 350 × 150 px · 30–49 KB |
| NEET UG | 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 10–200 KB | 3.5 × 1.5 cm · 10–100 KB |
| JEE Main | 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 10–300 KB | 3.5 × 1.5 cm · 10–50 KB |
| CUET | 200 × 230 px · 10–200 KB | 140 × 60 px · 10–50 KB |
| GATE | 480 × 640 px · 5–600 KB | 500 × 160 px · 3–300 KB |
| CTET | 3.5 × 4.5 cm · 10–100 KB | 3.5 × 1.5 cm · 3–30 KB |
| India Post GDS | 320 × 400 px · 30–100 KB | 300 × 120 px · 20–100 KB |
| PAN card (Protean / NSDL) | 197 × 276 px · 5–50 KB | 354 × 157 px · 5–50 KB |
Click an exam name to open its resizer with these sizes already filled in. IBPS and SBI forms also ask for a left thumb impression (240 × 240 px, 20–50 KB) and a handwritten declaration (800 × 400 px, 50–100 KB); NEET asks for thumb and finger impressions of both hands on one sheet. All of these are on the same exam pages.
cm, mm, pixels and KB — what the numbers mean
- 3.5 × 4.5 cm (35 × 45 mm) is the standard Indian passport size. Forms that give it in cm usually accept around 413 × 531 pixels (that's 3.5 × 4.5 cm at 300 dpi).
- Pixel sizes like 200 × 230 px are exact — the portal checks the width and height.
- KB is the file size. It depends on the picture's detail and JPG quality, not only its dimensions — which is why a photo can have the right pixels and still be too big.
Want the full explanation? Read Pixels, KB and DPI: what form sizes really mean.
How to make a photo that passes, step by step
- Take a fresh photo in daylight against a plain white or light wall. Look straight at the camera, both ears visible, no cap or dark glasses, mouth closed.
- Open your exam's resizer from the table above (or the general Exam Photo & Signature Resizer if your exam isn't listed).
- Choose the photo, then drag and zoom so your face fills about 70–80% of the frame with a little space above your head.
- Download the JPG. The tool squeezes it into the KB range automatically and shows the final size so you can check before uploading.
Getting the signature right
- Sign with a black ink pen on plain white paper — bigger than usual, so it stays clear when shrunk. (Most forms reject signatures in capital letters, and pencil.)
- Take a photo of it from directly above in good light, with no shadow from your phone.
- Open the same resizer, switch to Signature, crop tight around the signature and download.
For UPSC, sign three times one below the other on the same sheet — the form asks for all three in one image.
Why forms reject photos (and the fix)
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| "File size exceeds the limit" | Use the exam resizer — it lowers the JPG quality just enough to land inside the range. |
| "File size too small" | Some forms have a minimum too (e.g. 20 KB). The resizer keeps it above the minimum. |
| "Invalid dimensions" | Crop in the resizer instead of in your gallery app — gallery crops don't set exact pixels. |
| "Only JPG/JPEG allowed" | iPhone photos are often HEIC — convert them first with HEIC to JPG. The resizers always save JPG. |
| Rejected after submission | Usually a blurred, dark or old photo, a cap or glasses, or a photo without name and date when the notification asked for it — see photo with name and date. |
Is it safe to use an online resizer?
Our exam resizers work inside your browser — your photo and signature are never uploaded to a server, so nobody else sees them. They're free, with no sign-up.
Pick your exam and get a photo and signature that fit the form on the first try.
Open the Exam Photo Resizer →