I have a B.Eng degree in engineering, an EASA ATPL and various other licences from around the world, and am finishing up an MSc.
I don’t think an ATPL theory exams are particularly difficult, cognitively; more a case of volume of material to learn. I do feel that anyone who has had to be a subject matter expert, i.e. conduct a training needs analysis for their company, has experienced similar tasks as those of of a degree purely due to the amount of regulatory research, etc..