Wednesday, the College Board, the group responsible for the SAT, announced changes that included removing difficult vocabulary and making the essay portion of the exam optional. Most news reports accepted the College Board’s purported reason for changing the SAT: The non-profit wanted to more accurately reflect the schoolwork completed in high school and needed in college.
The New York Times’s headline reported the College Board’s goal was for the SAT to “realign with schoolwork.” CNN also reported, with little skepticism, that the purpose was to connect the test to high schools and create, in the words of College Board President and CEO David Coleman, “more college-ready students.

Another answer?

But there’s another reason to make the test more appealing to students: improving the College Board’s financial outlook.

Source: The SAT May Have Been Changed To Help College Board Maximize Revenue – Business Insider