PDF between 50 and 300 KB — UPSC's certificate window and the file names it insists on
For UPSC the 300 KB ceiling comes with a 50 KB floor and an exact file name — get all three right or the upload button simply refuses the file.
PDF 50-300 KB specification
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| UPSC candidate portal — certificates | PDF only, 50 KB to 300 KB, one document per file |
| UPSC fixed file names | name_change, board_certificate, caste_certificate, disability_certificate, pw_recommendation, bachelor_marksheet, bachelor_certificate, age_relaxation_certificate — any other name is refused |
| UPSC images (for contrast) | Photo jpg 20-200 KB with 3/4 face coverage; signature jpg 20-100 KB; photo ID jpg 20-200 KB |
| CUET (UG) 2026 | Category / PwBD / UDID certificate as PDF between 50 KB and 300 KB |
| PAN supporting documents (Protean) | Black-and-white PDF/A or JPEG, maximum 300 KB per page |
| Scan setting that fits | Greyscale at 200 dpi puts a one-page certificate at 120-250 KB |
| Floor | 50 KB — a text-only PDF exported from a phone at 30 KB is rejected as too small |
Source: Instructions for uploading documents — UPSC Online candidate portal (current PDF linked from the portal's 'Instructions and FAQs' menu, read September 2026). checked on 2026-09-20. The older copy of this PDF at upsconline.nic.in/ngrp/assets/PDF/ now returns 404; the portal serves the same document from a hashed assets path. UPSC's FAQ (Q46) repeats the 50-300 KB PDF rule.
The table UPSC actually publishes
The UPSC uploading instructions are a single table. Every certificate — name change affidavit or gazette notification, matriculation board certificate, caste certificate, disability certificate, PwBD recommendation, bachelor marksheet and degree, writing-extremity and age-relaxation certificates for the EPFO examination — is 'pdf, 50KB–300KB', and each has a prescribed file name such as board_certificate or caste_certificate. Only the photograph, signature, photo ID and scribe images are jpg, at 20-200 KB and 20-100 KB. The instructions warn that the document will not be uploaded if any other file name, format or size is used, and the portal's own FAQ repeats the 50-300 KB PDF rule in question 46.
So three things must be true at once: the file is a PDF, it weighs between 50 and 300 kilobytes, and it is named exactly as the slot expects. Most failed uploads break one of the last two.
Fitting a certificate into 300 KB
A phone scanner app defaults to colour at 300 dpi, which stores the paper's tint and every crease and produces a page of one to two megabytes. Switch to greyscale and 200 dpi and the same certificate becomes 150-250 KB with the seal, the signatures and the small print all intact. That single setting solves the ceiling. It also keeps you above the 50 KB floor, which exists precisely to reject scans so crushed that they cannot be verified — do not answer a 'too small' error by padding; answer it by scanning better.
The same window elsewhere
The CUET (UG) 2026 bulletin asks for category, PwBD and UDID certificates as PDFs of 50 KB to 300 KB, and the Protean PAN instructions cap each supporting page at 300 KB as black-and-white PDF/A or JPEG. If your portal prints a tighter figure, the 200 KB page covers the scholarship-portal limit; if it is looser, see 500 KB. Photographed pages rather than scans should go through the photo-to-PDF tool, which sets the target size while the pages are still images.
How it works
- Scan or photograph the certificate flat, in even light, with all four corners inside the frame.
- Convert to greyscale and keep the resolution near 200 dpi (long edge about 1650 px).
- Combine the pages of one certificate into a single PDF.
- Compress with the 300 KB preset; aim for 150-250 KB so you clear the 50 KB floor with room.
- Rename to the exact UPSC file name for that slot, e.g. board_certificate.pdf.
- Open the PDF and read the smallest text and the seal before uploading.