Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to us here. I'm happy to learn you're looking to get QuickBooks certified. Rest assured, I'll be happy to steer you in the right direction.
It's required that you have QB Online Accountant in order to complete the certifications within 5 sections. You're welcome to sign up for a free QBOA account as an individual since you're currently not at a firm as this allows you to complete the exams. Here's a helpful article that shows you how: Sign up for ProAdvisor and QuickBooks certification courses.
Feel free to ask other questions in the comments below. I'll be on standby.