Merge Two Sorted arrays
Last updated: March 1, 2026
Quick Overview
Given two sorted linked lists, merge them into a single sorted result.
Amazon
Coding & Algorithms
Software Engineer
Amazon
March 1, 2026Software Engineer
Take-home Project
Coding & Algorithms
Hard
92
10
4,843 solved
Given two sorted linked lists, merge them into a single sorted result.
Coding interviews at Amazon 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
- Quickly identify the optimal approach and its theoretical basis
- Handle complex algorithm design with multiple interacting components
- Write concise, elegant code under time pressure
- Prove correctness of your approach and discuss alternative solutions
- Optimize beyond the obvious: discuss constant factor improvements
- Address follow-up variations and explain how the solution generalizes
Key Topics to Cover
Common algorithm patterns (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS)
Tree structures and recursion
Time and space complexity analysis
Edge cases and input validation
Hash maps and frequency counting
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
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem requires merging two sorted linked lists into a single sorted list. This is a classic example of using the two pointers technique, which is ideal for problems involving sorted sequence...
Approach
- Initialize Pointers: Start with two pointers, one for each linked list (let's call them
l1andl2). Initialize a dummy node to help with building the merged list and acurrentpointer to ...
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