Detect subsequence in linked list
Last updated: February 3, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a linked list and a sequence of integers, determine if the sequence is a subsequence of the linked list. A subsequence is defined as a sequence that can be derived from the linked list by deleting some elements without changing the order of the remaining elements. Return true if the sequence is a subsequence, and false otherwise.
Morgan Stanley
February 3, 202694
8
2,997 solved
Given a linked list and a sequence of integers, determine if the sequence is a subsequence of the linked list. A subsequence is defined as a sequence that can be derived from the linked list by deleting some elements without changing the order of the remaining elements. Return true if the sequence is a subsequence, and false otherwise.
Morgan Stanley uses this problem in the Technical Screen to evaluate your algorithmic thinking. They expect you to discuss multiple approaches, analyze trade-offs between them, and implement the optimal solution with clean, readable code.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Identify the correct data structure and algorithm for the problem
- Write clean, bug-free code with proper variable naming
- Analyze time and space complexity correctly
- Handle basic edge cases (empty input, single element)
- Communicate your thought process while coding
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
- Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
- Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
- Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
- Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
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Problem Analysis
To determine if a sequence of integers is a subsequence of a linked list, we can utilize the two-pointer technique. This approach is applicable here because we can traverse through the linked list wit...
Approach
- Initialize a pointer for the linked list (
current) and another pointer for the sequence (seq_index), both starting at the beginning. - Traverse the linked list:
- For each node in the linke...
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