The "Prev Pointer" Trap That Fails Tech Interviews (LeetCode 2095) | Amazon SDE Interview Approach

LeetCode 2095 (Delete the Middle Node of a Linked List) seems like a standard Tortoise and Hare problem, but there is a hidden deletion trap. Because you need the node before the middle to safely delete it, most candidates introduce a messy third prev pointer that trails behind. In a real systems interview, unnecessary variables and cluttered logic can hold you back. In today's whiteboard breakdown, we look at why the 3-pointer setup is a "Junior Trap" and how to use a genius pointer offset trick (head.next.next) to solve it perfectly in a single pass with just two pointers. Welcome back to the weekend interview series on Hey It's Sparsh! Drop a comment if that offset trick helped you clean up your code, and let me know which LeetCode POTD we should tear down next week. 👨🏻‍💻 About Me: Hi, I'm Sparsh! I'm a Software Engineer at Amazon based in Bengaluru. On this channel, I share insights into tech, career growth, and real-world software engineering to help you level up. #LeetCode #CodingInterview #SoftwareEngineer #DataStructures #HeyItsSparsh #LeetCode2095 #LinkedList #TechInterview #AmazonSDE