photo and signature for exam forms
Most large central exam forms ask for the photograph and the signature as two separate files. Some state, university and institutional forms ask for one image holding both. Read the notice first; then make whichever it asks for.
What published notices say
These are the figures as published in the notices named, checked on 18 Oct 2026. Notices change every cycle: the notice for your form is the authority, not this table.
| Body / form | Item | Pixels | File size | Other | One combined file? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBPS-pattern bank recruitment (as published in an IPPB notice) | Photograph | 200 × 230 (preferred) | 20–50 KB | 4.5 × 3.5 cm, at least 200 DPI, JPG | No — separate files |
| Same notice | Signature | 140 × 60 (preferred) | 10–20 KB | At least 200 DPI, JPG | No |
| Same notice | Left thumb impression | 240 × 240 | 20–50 KB | 3 × 3 cm, 200 DPI | No |
| Same notice | Handwritten declaration | 800 × 400 | 50–100 KB | 10 × 5 cm, 200 DPI | No |
| SSC CGL 2026 (secondary source) | Photograph | — | — | Captured live in the application; no upload | No |
| Same | Signature | about 4 × 2 cm | 10–20 KB | JPEG, black or blue ink on white | No |
| ICAI exam portal | Photograph | Passport size | up to 50 KB | JPEG, light background | No |
| Same | Signature | — | under 50 KB | JPEG, scanned at 200 DPI, cropped to the signature | No |
Sources: the IPPB recruitment “how to apply” document (IBPS pattern), a published SSC CGL 2026 photo and signature explainer (secondary), and the ICAI exam portal's image-size page.
One file or two
- If the form has two upload fields — photo and signature — make two files. The photo-and-signature page does both from the same session: Photo only and Signature only, each at its own pixel size and KB range.
- If the form has one field asking for a photo with the signature below it, merge: photo on top, signature scaled to the photo's width, white background, no gap.
- If the notice gives a name-and-date band under the photo, add it as typed text; nothing is invented.
How a KB range is reached
A JPEG's size depends on its quality and its pixels. The board searches quality first, from the ceiling you set, and only reduces the pixel size when quality alone cannot get under the limit — then it says it did. It reports the result as a sentence: for example 18.4 KB at quality 71%, 200 × 290 px. If a minimum is set and the file is under it, it says so rather than padding the file, which some portals reject anyway; raise the quality or the pixel size instead.
Cleaning a signature scan
Three classical steps, no model: crop to the ink (the box around pixels clearly darker than the paper, plus a margin), make the paper white (a levels move from the paper's own brightness), and optionally greyscale. Undo brings the scan back.
Nothing here is official, and no preset should be read as more authoritative than the notice in front of you. The DPI is written into the JPG header, but most portals check pixels and kilobytes, not DPI.