The quantum mechanics of inverse square potentials in one dimension is usually studied through renormalization, self-adjoint extension and WKB approximation. This paper shows that such potentials may be investigated within the framework of the position-dependent mass quantum mechanics formalism under the usual boundary conditions. As a result, exact discrete bound state solutions are expressed in terms of associated Laguerre polynomials with negative energy spectrum using the Nikiforov-Uvarov method for the repulsive inverse square potential.