Except, most people asking white board questions are asking for code.
> allows you to see how some one approaches a problem
I've never jumped to a whiteboard. Rather, I've researched the problem. If they really wanted to see how you'd approach a problem, they'd give you the problem before the interview, and then when you come in, ask you to explain it, allowing you to use the whiteboard.
I've also never had to reverse a BST in place outside of an interview setting.
I personally like technical questions in interviews. I've had some good experiences with them, but that may be because I have always been a good "test-taker". I feel like I understand what tests (and interviewers) are looking for and can tailor my response accordingly.
For an interview, I've learned that the question isn't "come up with the best solution". The question is really "demonstrate how you approach this problem". I've learned to vocally explain that I'm starting with a naive approach. Then I explain how I'm considering the constraints for optimization. I state out loud any patterns or similarities between the optimizations I am trying to make and ones I've made in the past. (ie, "To make this O(logn), we need to find ways to eliminate half the data set each iteration. Is this similar to a BST at all?"). I pursue paths I know might not be correct, and backtrack when I see the fault in the idea. The key is to narrate for the interviewer.
Maybe I've had good interviewers, but 7 of the last 8 interviews I've had resulted in job or internship offers and I felt the interviewer was able to get an accurate picture of my abilities.
Right I agree, asking someone to drag you along through there thought process while they are trying to solve problem is not natural. It's akin to saying, hey give a public speech while you are writing an algorithm. How many times do we here people say hold on I am concentrating. Most people opt to solve a problem, refine it, and then say OK here is what I did, now that I have had time to think about it and write it down.
Different strokes for different people I often sketch out my ideas and possible solutions on a white board or on some sheets of A1 flipchart paper laid out on a spare desk near me.
> allows you to see how some one approaches a problem
I've never jumped to a whiteboard. Rather, I've researched the problem. If they really wanted to see how you'd approach a problem, they'd give you the problem before the interview, and then when you come in, ask you to explain it, allowing you to use the whiteboard.