Find shortest distance in linked list
Last updated: November 16, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a singly linked list, write a function to find the shortest distance between two nodes with specified values. The function should return the number of edges in the shortest path between the two nodes, or -1 if either node is not present in the list.
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November 16, 20256
8
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Given a singly linked list, write a function to find the shortest distance between two nodes with specified values. The function should return the number of edges in the shortest path between the two nodes, or -1 if either node is not present in the list.
Coding interviews at Visa focus on problem-solving approach as much as the final solution. The interviewer wants to see you break down the problem, consider edge cases, and optimize iteratively. Communication throughout the process is key.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
- Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
- Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
- Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
- Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
- Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
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?
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
To solve the problem of finding the shortest distance between two nodes in a singly linked list, we can utilize a linear traversal technique. The problem can be viewed as a search problem where we nee...
Approach
- Traverse the Linked List: Start from the head of the linked list and traverse through each node while maintaining two pointers: one for the first target node and another for the second target n...
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