The requirement of 120 US semester hours of credit to be eligible to take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam refers to the minimum amount of college-level education that an individual must have completed in order to be eligible to sit for the exam. This requirement is set by most state boards of accountancy and is meant to ensure that individuals have a broad and comprehensive understanding of business, accounting, and other related subjects.
Typically, a US bachelor's degree is awarded after completing 120-130 semester hours of credit, so the CPA exam requirement is usually satisfied by having a bachelor's degree.