Civil Service Exam photo requirements
The official CSC rules for the Career Service Exam (CSE-PPT) — precise on framing and the name tag, and strict about what you can't do.
Prepare a Civil Service Exam photo
If you have a compliant digital photo, Sukat crops it to the exact passport size and prepares the file for printing or an online CSC system — no enhancement.
Start from a compliant photo
Have the photo taken properly: white background, collared top, no glasses, and the handwritten name tag (signature over your printed full name) about an inch below your chin. Then drop the JPG, PNG, or HEIC onto Sukat's drop zone.
Crop to passport size
Crop to 4.5 × 3.5 cm (35 × 45 mm) with the face filling at least 80% of the frame and the name tag visible. Don't retouch the face — CSC prohibits computer-enhanced features.
Export to print or upload
For the printed application, export at 300 DPI and print four identical copies on photo paper. Where a CSC online system (eServe or OCSEAS) accepts a digital photo, choose JPEG and compress to its size limit.
When you need a Civil Service Exam photo
The same passport-size, name-tagged photo comes up across the CSE process. Here's where it applies.
CSE-PPT (Pen and Paper Test)
The twice-yearly Career Service Exam (Professional and Subprofessional) — four passport-size prints filed with CS Form No. 100.
Online filing systems
Some regions use CSC eServe or OCSEAS for appointments or preliminary registration — prepare the digital photo to spec.
Repeat applicants
You can't take the same level within 3 months of your last exam — and each application needs fresh photos taken within 3 months.
Professional vs Subprofessional
Both levels use the same photo spec; choose the level on CS Form No. 100.
After passing (eligibility)
Your Career Service Eligibility supports government job applications — keep compliant ID photos on hand.
Also preparing a PRC or NBI photo? PRC uses a printed name tag and a 2 MB LERIS upload — see PRC Photo Requirements. An NBI Clearance is 2 × 2 — NBI Clearance Photo Size covers it.
Why Sukat for a Civil Service Exam photo
What this tool does — and, just as importantly, what it deliberately doesn't.
The exact passport size
Crop to 4.5 × 3.5 cm (35 × 45 mm) with the face at 80% of the frame — not the 2 × 2 square people sometimes use by mistake.
No enhancement, by design
Sukat only crops, resizes, and compresses; it never retouches or enhances your face — which is exactly what CSC requires.
Print-ready or upload-ready
Export at 300 DPI to print four copies, or compress to a CSC online system's limit where digital is accepted.
iPhone HEIC handled
Drop an iPhone HEIC in and Sukat exports a standard JPG — no separate converter.
Private, in-browser
The photo never leaves your device — no account, nothing uploaded to a third-party server.
Common reasons for rejection
CSC offices turn away non-compliant photos on filing day, and applicants are disqualified over photo faults more than over the exam itself. These are the usual ones.
Incorrect dimensions
Using a 2 × 2 photo instead of passport size (4.5 × 3.5 cm), or a face filling less than 80% of the frame.
Improper background
A coloured, patterned, or shaded background. CSC requires plain white, evenly lit.
Shadows
Shadows on the face or the wall behind you. Use even, front lighting on a plain white backdrop.
Low image quality or enhancement
A blurry or low-quality print, a photocopy, or computer-enhanced facial features — all rejected. Use a sharp, natural photo on photo paper.
Missing CSC-specific items
No handwritten name tag, a computer-generated one, the wrong name format, eyeglasses, accessories, or a name tag not about an inch below the chin. Follow the CSC name-tag and bare-face rules exactly.