Implement Skip List with without recursion
Last updated: May 4, 2026
Quick Overview
Implement a Skip List data structure that supports insertion, deletion, and search operations without using recursion. The Skip List should maintain a sorted order of elements and allow for efficient average time complexity of O(log n) for these operations. Your implementation should include methods to add an element, remove an element, and search for an element, with appropriate input and output specifications.
Anthropic
May 4, 20268
15
961 solved
Implement a Skip List data structure that supports insertion, deletion, and search operations without using recursion. The Skip List should maintain a sorted order of elements and allow for efficient average time complexity of O(log n) for these operations. Your implementation should include methods to add an element, remove an element, and search for an element, with appropriate input and output specifications.
Anthropic uses this problem in the Onsite 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
- 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
- How would you test this solution thoroughly?
- Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
A Skip List is a layered linked list that allows for fast search, insertion, and deletion operations. It can be thought of as a probabilistic alternative to balanced trees, where each element can be r...
Approach
- Structure: We'll define a
Nodeclass that holds the value and a list of forward pointers, representing the next nodes at various levels. TheSkipListclass will maintain the head and the ma...
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