What CTET asks for
CBSE's CTET rules for the images are short: two file-size ranges and two shapes given in centimetres. There is no pixel size, DPI, background or face rule, which is why the table says "Not set" for pixels. Under the table are the bulletin's own lines.
| Upload | Pixels | File size | Format | Background |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photograph | Not set 3.5 × 4.5 cm | 10–100 KB | JPG/JPEG | Not stated |
| Signature | Not set 3.5 × 1.5 cm | 3–30 KB | JPG/JPEG | Not stated |
Photograph: the notice's words
“Uploading of scanned Photo and Signature are mandatory.”
“Upload scanned photograph and signature in JPG/JPEG format.”
“Size of scanned photograph should be between 10 to 100 KB”
“Image Dimension of photograph should be 3.5 cm (width) x 4.5 cm (height).”
Name and date on the photo: Not asked for: the CTET bulletin has no rule about a name or date on the photo.
Signature: the notice's words
“Size of scanned signature should be between 3 KB to 30 KB.”
“Image Dimension of signature should be 3.5 cm (length) x 1.5 cm (height).”
How to use the CTET resizer
- Choose your photo for card 1 and a scan or straight phone photo of your signature for card 2. Each card frames it at the bulletin's shape: 3.5 × 4.5 cm for the photo, 3.5 × 1.5 cm for the signature.
- Zoom and drag until your face is centred in the photo frame and the signature fills most of its strip. If the paper behind the signature looks grey, tap Whiten the paper; turn a sideways scan with Turn 90°.
- When a card's checklist is green, download its file: the photo inside 10–100 KB and the signature inside 3–30 KB, both JPEG.
Example: a phone photo through the CTET resizer
- Photograph: an 8-megapixel phone photo, 2,448 × 3,264 px, opens as a 1,800 × 2,400 px copy; the frame at the 3.5 × 4.5 cm shape covers 1,800 × 2,314 px, kept at 1,800 × 2,314 px. The JPEG is 10,240 to 100,000 bytes (10–100 KB), named ctet-photo-1800x2314.jpg. Over the limit even at 60% quality, it would get fewer pixels, same shape.
The JPEG quality it lands on depends on the picture itself.
Centimetres without pixels: getting the CTET shape right
A JPEG file has pixels, not centimetres. A cm size turns into pixels only once someone picks a DPI, and the CTET bulletin doesn't pick one. So what the bulletin really fixes is the shape: 3.5 × 4.5 cm for the photo (7:9, a little taller than wide) and 3.5 × 1.5 cm for the signature (7:3, a wide strip, about 2⅓ times as wide as it is high). Each card frames your picture at that shape, and the checklist checks it in the finished file, so a landscape photo or a square signature can't slip through. The pixels are your crop's own, up to 2,400 on the long side: that count is the tool's choice, not a CBSE number.
- Photo: zoom and drag so your head and shoulders sit in the 3.5 × 4.5 frame. If you need prints too, the Passport Size Photo Maker makes a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photo sheet.
- Signature: sign in a space about 3.5 cm wide and 1.5 cm high, take a straight photo or scan, and zoom until the ink fills most of the strip in card 2.
The bulletin's one reason for the photo is that it "will be matched with the actual candidate appearing in the examination". Use a recent, clear photo that looks like you on exam day.
Why CTET uploads get rejected
So the practical risks are a file outside the KB range, a format other than JPG/JPEG, or a photo that doesn't look like you at the centre.
- The bulletin lists no separate rejection reasons for the images. What it does say: the scanned photo and signature are mandatory, both must be JPG/JPEG at the stated size and dimension, and the photo will be matched with the candidate appearing in the exam.
How the tool reaches the KB range
Your crop, at the bulletin's shape, is drawn at up to 2,400 pixels on its longest side and saved as a JPEG at the highest quality that stays under the maximum. If even 60% quality is too big, which is common for a full-size phone photo against a 100 KB limit, the pixel size is reduced, keeping your shape, and the quality search runs again. A file still under the minimum gets an invisible comment added until it reaches it. The checklist is read back from the finished file, not from the settings. For an exam that wants an exact pixel size, use Increase Image Size in KB or the Image Resizer.
Check before you apply
- These are the CTET September 2026 (22nd edition) rules. If the CTET February 2027 bulletin is out when you apply, check that its photo and signature lines haven't changed.
- The bulletin gives the sizes in cm only. Any pixel size or DPI you see quoted for CTET is someone's own choice, not a CBSE rule, so the tool keeps your crop and only fits the file size.
- A white background, an 80% face share and blue or black ink are coaching-site advice, not CTET rules.
- Paper I and Paper II use the same photo and signature rules.
- The exam moved to 12-13 December 2026 (public notice of 14 September 2026); the upload rules didn't change.
- The bulletin says biometric authentication may be introduced at exam centres; it gives no details.
Sources
Rules on this page and in the tool are as per the CTET September 2026 Information Bulletin dated 11 May 2026; check the latest notice before you apply. We read the official sources below on 8 October 2026 (CTET September 2026 (22nd edition), now to be held on 12-13 December 2026 with the same upload rules) and will check them again by 30 November 2026.
- CTET September 2026 Information Bulletin ↗, dated 11 May 2026
- CTET public notice announcing the 22nd edition ↗, dated 8 May 2026
- CTET public notice re-opening online applications for the 22nd edition ↗, dated 25 August 2026
- CTET public notice: 22nd edition on 12-13 December 2026 ↗, dated 14 September 2026
- CTET February 2026 Information Bulletin (previous edition) ↗, dated 27 November 2025
- CTET official website ↗, read on 7 October 2026