13 guides

Guides

The things that actually get an exam upload rejected, and what to do about each. Written to stay correct rather than to be topical — no dates to go stale.

How to find the photo specification in a notification PDF Every size chart online contradicts every other one. The authority is the notification. Here is how to find the upload rules inside it. 3 min read How to resize an image to an exact KB size The method portals require — hitting a file-size band exactly, at fixed pixel dimensions, without wrecking the picture. 3 min read How to scan a signature with a phone camera No scanner needed. How to photograph a signature so the paper comes out white, the ink stays sharp, and the file passes. 3 min read How to take a passport-size photo at home with a phone A step-by-step method for a photograph that will pass an exam portal, using a phone, a wall and daylight. 3 min read How to write your name and date on an exam photograph NTA, TNPSC and several state boards require your name and the date printed on the photo itself. The current UPSC instruction does not. What the format is, and where it goes. 3 min read iPhone photos and HEIC — converting for an exam portal Why your iPhone photo will not upload, and three ways to get a JPEG, including one that takes ten seconds. 3 min read Signature rules for Indian exams Running handwriting, not capitals. Black ink on white paper. Why signature uploads fail more often than photos, and how to get one that passes. 4 min read SSC live photo camera not working — what to check Camera permissions, lighting and capture tips for SSC applications that require a live photograph, plus the separate signature upload. 2 min read Thumb impression and handwritten declaration for bank exams IBPS and SBI ask for four uploads, not two. The two extra ones trip people up. Here is how to produce both. 4 min read We read the notifications. The exam photo size charts disagree. The exams where published photo and signature specs contradict each other, what the official notifications actually say, and why neither SSC nor NTA publishes the pixel dimensions everyone quotes. 13 min read What DPI means on an exam upload form Why a photo with correct pixel dimensions can still be rejected for resolution, what browsers write into your file, and when 200 DPI actually matters. 3 min read Why exam portals reject photos that are too small A minimum file size is a real requirement, not a typo. Why it exists, why compressing harder makes things worse, and how to clear the floor without damaging your photo. 4 min read Why your exam photo was rejected, and how to fix it The nine things that actually get a photograph refused by an Indian exam portal, in the order they happen, with the fix for each. 5 min read
Found something wrong? Corrections matter more here than anywhere else on the site — especially to exam sizes. Send them via the contact page, with the notification PDF and page number if you have it.