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I've read in various places that it is sometimes advisable to submit your application before it is fully complete (i.e. as you wait for LSAT scores). I've read in other places, though, that applications are not reviewed until all of the required materials have been received.

I'm having a difficult time understanding how this works or why it is the case...

Does it just put you "in line" earlier so that your application (when completed) will be reviewed before other applications that might be completed around the same time (like when a wave of people receive their LSAT scores)?

Or does it just help to show that you are actually interested in the school and that you haven't procrastinated in assembling your materials, even if you are sitting for a later LSAT?

Or am I completely off track?

Any clarifications or insights would be appreciated. I'm sure someone around here knows the answer!

It goes something like this:
- you assemble your app on LSAC
- you send your materials/pay the app/LSAC fees
- the school receives a notification and requests your file from LSAC
- LSAC sends a file to the school when the file is complete

It is my understanding that the school does have a note of when you paid your app fees and initiated the sending process. LSAC will not send your application before it is complete, although you can initiate the sending before the file is complete.

I don't think that you get a huge boost for trying to send your app before it is complete (although it certainly will never hurt you), but if you do pay the fees to send, LSAC will send your app as soon as it is complete - as in, the day your LORs are processed, you LSAT score is posted, or whatever else is holding up your file - and you won't have to keep checking back in to see if everything is processed before you can send it, so the process will go a little faster and save you some time in that regard. I'm not sure if it really helps your chances to submit before you're complete, but I can't think of a reason not to do it, if you're sure you have everything else in order.

that said the earlier the better.

I know I was accepted off the wait list from at least one school because I was one of the first, if not the first application, they got last cycle. And then I kept in touch.

Both getting it in early and keeping in touch made a difference.

You don't get put in line earlier if you apply with an incomplete file. However, LSAC will send your scores to the school when they're released and, if you've already sent them everything else, your file will complete before people who are manually sending in the rest of the application when they receive notice of their score.