How to read an exam notification's upload rules in 5 minutes

By Aman, founder of FABX Labs · Updated 17 September 2026 · 4 min read

The photo, signature and document rules in a recruitment notification are buried in a dense annexure. Where to find them, what to write down, the traps that cause rejections, and how to turn the rules into ready files.

Most upload rejections come from a rule the applicant never saw. The signature had to be 10–20 KB, not "under 50". The thumb impression had to be exactly 240 × 240 pixels. The category certificate had to be a PDF under 300 KB.

All of those rules were in the notification, usually on page 20-something, in a table, with centimetres on one line and kilobytes on the next. Here is how to find them quickly.

Where the rules live

Notifications put upload rules in a few predictable places. Open the PDF and search (Ctrl+F on a computer, "Find in page" on a phone) for these words, one at a time:

• "photograph" or "photo"
• "signature"
• "thumb" and "declaration" (bank and some state exams)
• "KB"
• "pixels" or "px"
• "DPI"
• "certificate" and "PDF"

The upload section is often called "How to apply", "Guidelines for scanning and uploading" or an annexure near the end.

What to write down

For each file the form asks for, write one line:

(The values above are only an example. Copy yours from your notification.)

Also note:

• the last date to apply, and the correction window if there is one;
• any rule about how recent the photo must be;
• whether the name and date must be printed on the photo.

The traps

• A minimum size. "Between 20 KB and 50 KB" means a 15 KB file is rejected too.
• Centimetres without pixels. Convert using the DPI the notification gives. If it gives none, look for a pixel size elsewhere in the notice, and see what cm, pixels and KB mean.
• Two numbers for one file. Some notices give the photo size in both centimetres and pixels. The pixels are what the portal checks.
• Annexure tables that differ from the main text. If two parts of the notice give different numbers, ask the helpdesk listed in the notification before you upload.
• Rules for signatures in capital letters, thumb ink colour, and declaration wording. These are easy to skip and often checked by a person later.

Let the PDF do the reading

FormReady reads the notification for you. Select the PDF, and it lists every upload rule it finds: photos, signatures, thumbs, declarations and documents, each with its size and KB range. It shows the sentence and page each rule came from, so you can check it against the notification.

Each item has a button that opens the right tool with the notification's own numbers already filled in.

What it can and can't do:

• It reads PDFs that contain real text. A scanned notification is only a picture of text, so it can't read it. Add those rules yourself; the tool buttons still work.
• It uses fixed patterns, not AI, and it can miss or misread a line. The notification always wins. Compare each rule with the sentence shown.
• The notification is read inside your browser and not sent anywhere.

From rules to files

Once you have the numbers:

• Photos, signatures, thumbs, declarations: make each one at the exact pixels and KB range.
• Certificates and documents: fit each PDF or JPEG into its KB limit.

Then check every file before you upload it.

A five-minute routine

1. Minute 1: search the PDF for "photograph", "signature" and "KB".
2. Minute 2: write one line per file: pixels, KB range, format, extra rules.
3. Minute 3: note the last date, the correction window and the photo date rule.
4. Minute 4: make each file with its exact numbers.
5. Minute 5: check each file, and keep them all in one folder named after the exam.

Tools used in this guide

More guides

• UPSC: the photo, the triple signature and the 10-day rule
• Form 16, ITR-V and bank statements: finding the PDF password you already have
• SSC photo and signature rules, explained
• Split a large PDF to fit a 5 MB or 10 MB limit