To complete your continuity test, place one probe at each end of the circuit or component you want to test.

As before, if your circuit is continuous, the screen displays a value of zero (or near zero), and the multimeter beeps.

If the screen displays 1 or OL (open loop), there's no continuity—that is, there's no path for electric current to flow from one probe to the other.

Continuity is non-directional, meaning it doesn't matter which probe goes where. But there are exceptions—for instance, if there's a diode in your circuit. A diode is like a one-way valve for electricity, meaning it will show continuity in one direction, but not in the other.

To check for this, reverse what the probes are touching and check for continuity. If the multimeter shows continuity, then it's possibly a diode.