Somewhat true. The idea is that you are fresh in their minds at the time of the match.

But this strategy is designed for AMGs who aren't eligible for pre-match...but then again, most pre-match offers are made relatively late in the season. However if you are a strong candidate and the place you want to go isn't very competitive, you can often pre-match very early in the process, thereby avoiding the rest of your interviews. So it is a balancing act. I interviewed primarily in January, had pre-match offers made in January, Feb, and March.

One way you can ensure that you are fresh in the minds of PDs is to call and harrass them on a regular basis until they give you some assurances.