Reduce PDF Size for SSC Form Upload – Step by Step (2026)

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) conducts some of India's most competitive exams — CGL, CHSL, MTS, CPO, and Stenographer. Every year, lakhs of candidates face rejection during form submission due to incorrect PDF file sizes.

SSC has strict document upload specifications for its One-Time Registration (OTR) and exam-specific forms. Understanding these limits is the first step to hassle-free form submission in 2026.

This guide covers exact size limits for every SSC exam and shows you how to use PDFOdimel's free compression tool to meet them perfectly.

Here are the typical document upload limits across SSC examinations:

• Photograph: 20-50KB (JPEG, 3.5cm x 4.5cm)
• Signature: 10-20KB (JPEG)
• Identity Document: Up to 2MB (PDF)
• Educational Certificate: Up to 2MB per file (PDF)
• Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC): Up to 2MB (PDF)
• Experience Certificate: Up to 2MB (PDF)

For SSC CGL Tier-1 registration, you primarily need photograph and signature. For Tier-2 document verification, you will need compressed PDFs of all certificates. Prepare everything in advance using PDFOdimel to avoid last-minute stress.

For Certificates and Mark Sheets

1. Scan your certificate at 200 DPI in grayscale — this produces a ~500KB file instead of 3MB+ for color 300 DPI scans.

2. Open PDFOdimel Compress tool and upload the scanned PDF.

3. Select Medium compression — this typically reduces the file by 60-70%.

4. Download and verify the file is under 2MB.

For Photographs

SSC requires photographs in JPEG format, not PDF. If you have a PDF photo, use PDFOdimel's PDF to JPG converter, then resize the image to meet SSC specifications (3.5cm × 4.5cm, 20-50KB).

For Signatures

Sign on white paper with a black pen, scan or photograph it, convert to PDF using PDFOdimel's Image to PDF tool, then convert back to JPEG format in the required size range.

Avoid these frequent mistakes that cause SSC form rejection:

• Uploading color scans: Color scans are unnecessarily large. Use grayscale for all text documents.
• Wrong file format: SSC requires JPEG for photos/signatures and PDF for documents. Do not mix them up.
• Multiple pages in one PDF: Some candidates upload multi-page scanned PDFs when only a single page is needed. Use PDFOdimel's Split PDF or Delete Pages tool to extract only the required page.
• Blurry compression: Using free tools that over-compress and make text unreadable. PDFOdimel's smart compression maintains text clarity.
• Last-minute uploads: SSC servers get extremely slow on the last day. Prepare all compressed documents at least a week before the deadline.

If you are preparing for banking exams alongside SSC, the document requirements are similar:

• SBI PO/Clerk: Photo 20-50KB, Signature 10-20KB, Documents up to 2MB PDF
• IBPS PO/Clerk: Photo 20-50KB (4.5cm × 3.5cm), Signature 10-20KB, Left thumb impression 20-50KB
• RBI Grade B: Photo and signature with specific dimension and size requirements

PDFOdimel works perfectly for all these requirements. One tool for all your government exam PDF needs, completely free.