Nope, you throw it in diag mode and it runs its tests and throws out a code (by flashing a light (dash light or light on the ecu). You count the flashes and then compare the number to that in a list. It then may show something like code blah... coolant temp sensor or code blah afm etc etc..
You can even throw it in an o2 test mode where it flashes the light as the o2 sensor goes high/low. An easy way to determine if your o2 sensor is shagged, lazy, or not.