The first thing that the academy requires when you apply; is your "SCHOOL'S PROFILE". Just about ALL universities require this. Your school knows what it is, and they send it to the academy.
It lists ALL the classes that are available at your school. It lists your school's gpa, class size, etc... It lists the percentage of students who graduate, who go on to college. It lists the colleges that graduates have gone to. etc...
This is how the academy, just like other universities, takes your class schedule and determines how your "3.85" gpa compares to another student's 3.85 from another school.
As for HOW the academy weights your gpa, that totally depends on your school. My son had a 4.0gpa. He was in the IB program since the 9th grade and maintained the 4.0gpa the entire time. He couldn't have taken any more difficult classes if he wanted to. He was ranked #1 in his class. When the academy finished calculating his grade, he STILL had a 4.0gpa. Another student, in the same school, who had a 3.95 in TRADITIONAL classes, had a weighted score by the academy of approximately 3.8. Yet, I've seen applicants from different schools with 3.9 gpa have their scores go up to a 4.1gpa. It all depends on your school, the classes taken, how the students in that school do, the type of universities they get accepted to, etc...
Now; for the good news. Part of your "TOTAL SCORE" in numerous areas is subjective and scored by the board. In other words, it isn't a simply mathematical formula. There is the HUMAN FACTOR involved. The good news is that while your GPA is important, it's only 1 factor. You CLASS RANK has a LOT of play in this. I.e. A 3.90 gpa with a class rank of #4 out of 500 is BETTER than a 3.95 gpa with a class rank of #53 out of 350. Obviously, if you have a 3.95 and 52 others have at least the same OR BETTER than you, then it's possible that maybe your school isn't as difficult. Or maybe they tend to "TEACH to the TEST". (Which is common in many schools and why AP and honor classes are being scrutinized). "Are kids actually learning".
But; when all is said and done, there is the GREAT EQUALIZER!!! That is the ACT and the SAT test. Granted, nothing is perfect. There are some people that simply can't test well. Especially in standardized tests. Sorry, but the academy doesn't know you personally. If you're a bad test taker, then I suggest you take some classes or self help courses in how to take a test. But your ACT/SAT is the great equalizer, because it VALIDATES your GPA. If you have a 3.95 gpa and a composite ACT score of 25, that says a lot. Especially compared to the individual you're competing against with a 3.8 gpa, but they have a composite ACT of 30+.
So don't worry about your GPA. It IS what it IS. The academy has been doing this for a very long time. They know the difference between someone who is taking AP, honors, or an entire upper level program like IB and the person who is taking the minimum state required classes. Your AP classes definitely count. That's part of the "Subjective Human Factor" I mentioned. A 3.85 gpa in AP/Honor classes will get more points than a 3.90 gpa in NORMAL classes. It doesn't matter what they weight your GPA as. That's not the only part of your ACADEMIC SCORE. Your academic score is your GPA, your CLASS RANK, WHAT CLASSES YOUR TOOK, vs what classes were available, (Can't penalize an applicant who doesn't have AP, Honors, IB classes available), and your ACT/SAT scores. All of this combined, gives you your composite academic score.
And for what it's worth, this counts for 55% of your TOTAL COMPOSITE SCORE. Another 25% of your TOTAL COMPOSITE SCORE comes from your Athletic involvement, leadership involvement, public/community involvement, clubs, work experience, etc.... The final 20% of your TOTAL COMPOSITE SCORE come from your CFA score, your writing sample, your ALO interview, and the Admissions Panel, faculty, and staff review. Click on the link in my signature block and download the PDF of the academy 2012-2013 Catalog/Brochure. It's EVERYTHING you wanted to know about the academy. Appointments, nominations, etc...
