Isolate the term with the dependent variable on one side of the equation.
For example, if the linear equation is 3y + 7x = 15 and y is the dependent variable, then you would rewrite it as 3y = -7x + 15.
Isolate the dependent variable itself.
In the above example, 3y = -7x + 15 should be divided by 3 on both sides, which leads to y = -7/3x + 5.
Identify the slope and intercept. The standard form is y = mx + b. In that equation, m is the slope and b is the y-intercept.
In the equation y = -7/3x + 5, m is -7/3 and b is 5. That is, the slope is -7/3 and the y-intercept is 5.