Sliding Window on linked list
Last updated: June 13, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a singly linked list, implement a sliding window technique to find the maximum sum of any contiguous sublist of a specified length k. Your function should take the head of the linked list and an integer k as inputs, and return the maximum sum as an integer. If k is greater than the length of the list, return 0.
ServiceNow
June 13, 2026129
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Given a singly linked list, implement a sliding window technique to find the maximum sum of any contiguous sublist of a specified length k. Your function should take the head of the linked list and an integer k as inputs, and return the maximum sum as an integer. If k is greater than the length of the list, return 0.
ServiceNow uses this problem in the Take-home Project 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
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- How would you test this solution thoroughly?
- What if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem is to find the maximum sum of any contiguous sublist of a specified length k in a singly linked list. This scenario is a classic use case for the sliding window technique because we need...
Approach
- Initial Validation: First, we need to check if
kis greater than the length of the linked list. If it is, we return 0. - Calculate Length: Traverse the linked list to calculate its len...
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