Most rejected applications are not rejected over the answers. They are rejected over the photograph or the signature, usually for a reason the candidate never saw coming.
Here are the ones that actually cause problems, and what to do about each.
1. The file size is outside the allowed range
Almost every portal sets both a minimum and a maximum, often 20 KB to 50 KB for a photo and 10 KB to 20 KB for a signature. A photo straight from a phone camera is typically 2 MB to 5 MB, which is forty times too large.
Compressing it down is easy. What catches people out is landing inside the range while also matching the exact pixel dimensions. Compress too hard and you fall under the minimum, which some portals also reject.
The fix: use a tool that targets the pixel size and the KB range together, rather than doing one and hoping the other works out.
2. The dimensions are wrong
A portal asking for 200 x 230 pixels means exactly that. Uploading a square crop, or a photo that is 3000 pixels wide, will either be rejected outright or stretched into something that no longer looks like you.
The fix: crop to the stated ratio before resizing, not after.
3. Your face is badly positioned
This is the most common rejection reason and the least talked about. Your face should fill most of the frame, centred, with a little space above your head. Faces that are too small, too close to an edge, or cut off at the chin get rejected even when the file size and dimensions are perfect.
The fix: position the photo yourself instead of accepting an automatic centre crop. Your eyes should sit roughly in the upper third of the frame.
4. The background is not plain
Most notifications ask for a white or light plain background. A doorway, a patterned wall, or another person visible behind you can all cause rejection.
The fix: stand about a metre in front of a plain light wall, in daylight but not direct sun. Distance from the wall reduces shadows.
5. The photo is too old or too dark
Notifications commonly require a photograph taken within the last three months, and some require the name and date printed along the bottom. A dark or blurry photo can be rejected on quality grounds alone.
The fix: take a fresh one near a window. Never photograph an existing printed photo, this is explicitly banned by several commissions and is grounds for rejection on its own.
6. The signature is not in the right form
Signatures are usually required in black ink on plain white paper, in your normal running handwriting. Block capitals are not accepted as a signature. A signature that is too small or blurry when scanned can also be rejected.
The fix: sign inside a drawn box on white paper, photograph it straight on in good light, then crop tightly to the signature itself.
7. You are trying to upload a photo when the portal wants a live capture
This one is new and catches a lot of people out. Several major commissions, including SSC, have moved to capturing your photograph live through the portal during the application. There is no file to upload at all.
If you are hunting for the pixel dimensions and cannot find them in the notification, this may be why.
The fix: have good lighting and a plain background ready before you start the form, and remove any cap, mask or spectacles.
Before you upload, check these
- Dimensions match the notification exactly
- File size sits inside the stated range, not just under the maximum
- Face is centred and fills most of the frame
- Background is plain and light
- Photograph is recent and sharp
- Signature is black ink on white paper, in running handwriting
- Format is JPG unless the notification says otherwise
One last thing
Requirements differ between exams and change between years. The numbers in last year’s notification are not always the numbers in this year’s. Always open your own notification PDF and check the photograph and signature section before you upload anything.