There is no SSC CGL photo file to prepare
Staff Selection Commission captures your photograph inside the application form itself, so the photo sizes still quoted in older guides describe a process that no longer exists. What you do prepare is the signature, and that is where applications actually get stuck: a phone photo of a signature runs to a few megabytes, far above the ceiling below.
| Document | Dimensions | File size | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| SignatureSigned in black or blue ink on plain white paper, horizontally aligned. Must not be in capital letters, and must fill most of the box: miniature signatures are rejected. | 6.0 × 2.0 cm (709 × 236 px) | 10–20 KB | JPEG |
SSC runs one One-Time Registration and one application module across its whole examination family, so the signature you prepare here works for every one of them.
The same requirements apply to
The files you prepare here are the same ones accepted for:
- SSC CHSL
- SSC MTS
- SSC Constable (GD)
- Delhi Police Constable
- SSC Stenographer
- SSC CPO
- SSC JE
If you have already registered for one of these, the photograph and signature on your profile carry over and you do not need to prepare them again.
What trips people up on SSC CGL
Photographing a printed photo will get your application rejected
This is the trap, and it is worth being precise about. The notification says the candidate is not required to have a pre-existing photograph, because the application module has been designed to capture one. It then closes the obvious workaround: in no case should the candidate capture the photograph of a pre-existing photograph, and all such applications will be rejected. So resizing a photo and holding it up to the camera does not solve the problem, it creates grounds for rejection. Sit in front of a plain, well-lit wall, take off any cap and glasses, put the camera at eye level, and capture it in the form.
Sign large: miniature signatures are the top rejection reason
SSC publishes its own guidance on this and is blunt about it: the major reason for rejection of signatures is miniature signatures, and it asks that your signature occupy at least 80% of the box. Applications with illegible, blurred or miniature signatures are rejected. So the instinct to sign small and neat inside a big sheet is exactly wrong here. Sign across the paper, boldly, then photograph it.
Horizontal, in ink, and never in capitals
Three further conditions that are easy to miss. The signature must be horizontally aligned, so straighten the paper before you photograph it rather than tilting the phone. It must be in black or blue ink on plain white paper. And it must not be in capital letters, which rules out printing your name in block capitals: that is a written name, not a signature, and SSC does not accept it.
The 6 by 2 cm figure is a print size, and 300 DPI is stated
Unlike several other bodies, SSC gives you both halves of the sum: about 6.0 cm wide by 2.0 cm tall, at a resolution of 300 DPI. That works out to 709 by 236 pixels, which is what this page targets. Note the shape, three times wider than it is tall, because that is the ratio your photograph of the paper has to match. A signature photographed on a squarer piece of paper will be cropped to fit it.
Aadhaar authentication is a genuine safety net
Worth knowing before you agonise over a kilobyte. The notification states that applications from candidates who opt for Aadhaar authentication will not be rejected on the ground that the photograph or signature uploaded does not meet the prescribed standards. That is insurance rather than permission to ignore the requirements, and it does not help with the live photograph rule, but it does mean a borderline signature is less likely to cost you the application.
How to use this tool
- Sign on white paper. Use a black or blue pen and sign so that your signature fills most of the space. Keep it horizontal.
- Photograph or scan it. A phone photo in good light is fine. Add it below by dragging it in, choosing a file, or using the camera button.
- Let it hit the target. The size meter shows the file converging into the required 10–20 KB range at the correct dimensions.
- Download and upload. Download the signature file, then upload it in the application form. Your photograph is captured live in the form itself.
Common reasons a SSC CGL signature is rejected
- Too small on the page. The Commission calls these “miniature” signatures and asks that yours fill at least 80% of the box. Sign large.
- Blurred. Photograph it in daylight or under a bright lamp, holding the phone parallel to the paper rather than at an angle.
- Capital letters. A signature written in block capitals is not accepted. Nor is a typed name.
- Not horizontal. The notification asks for a horizontally aligned signature, so straighten the paper before you photograph it.
- Wrong file size. Between 10 and 20 KB, which is what the tool above guarantees.
One useful safety net: the notification says applications from candidates who opt for Aadhaar authentication will not be rejected on the grounds that the uploaded photograph or signature falls outside the prescribed standards. Treat that as insurance, not as a reason to skip the requirements.