Dereference++

What this C++ pointer-dereference question tests

This is a medium-difficulty C++ language question that probes whether you understand the precedence and associativity rules governing pointer operators and increment syntax. It rewards careful reading of operator semantics over intuition.

To work through questions like this, you need to parse the expression correctly by applying C++'s operator precedence rules, then trace through the side effects in the right order. The distinction between prefix and postfix operators, and how they interact with dereferencing, is a common source of confusion—and exactly what interviewers test here.

• Operator precedence in C++ (postfix vs. prefix operators)
• Pointer dereferencing and address-of semantics
• Side effects and evaluation order
• Reading complex expressions deliberately